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Configuring Anycast

This guide walks you through setting up BGP sessions for your virtual machine workers in the NetActuate Customer Portal. Once sessions are established, your VMs can participate in anycast groups and announce prefixes globally.

Prerequisites​

  • An active NetActuate account with BGP-enabled services
  • At least one deployed VM worker in the target location
  • Your ASN (NetActuate-provided or your own)
  • IP prefix to announce (NetActuate-provided or BYOIP)

Step 1: Navigate to BGP Sessions​

  1. Log in to the NetActuate Customer Portal.
  2. In the top navigation, click Networking.
  3. In the left sidebar, click Anycast.
  4. Click the BGP Sessions tab.

Step 2: Create a New BGP Session​

  1. Click + Add Session.
  2. Select the Location where your VM worker is deployed.
  3. Select the VM Worker to associate with the session.
  4. Enter the ASN for your side of the peering session.
  5. Review the auto-populated NetActuate neighbor details (router IP, NetActuate ASN).
  6. Click Create.

The session will move through the following states: Idle then Connect then Active then Established. Once established, you can begin announcing prefixes.

Step 3: Configure Your VM​

After creating the session in the portal, configure your VM to peer with the NetActuate router. The following example uses BIRD2, a common BGP routing daemon on Linux.

BIRD2 Configuration Example​

Install BIRD2:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install bird2 -y

Edit /etc/bird/bird.conf:

router id <YOUR_VM_IP>;

protocol device {
    scan time 10;
}

protocol direct {
    ipv4;
    interface "lo";
}

protocol static static_bgp {
    ipv4;
    route <YOUR_PREFIX> via "lo";
}

protocol bgp netactuate {
    description "NetActuate BGP Session";
    local <YOUR_VM_IP> as <YOUR_ASN>;
    neighbor <NETACTUATE_ROUTER_IP> as <NETACTUATE_ASN>;
    hold time 90;
    keepalive time 30;

    ipv4 {
        import none;
        export where proto = "static_bgp";
    };
}

Replace the placeholder values with your actual session details from the portal:

  • <YOUR_VM_IP> -- your VM's primary IP address
  • <YOUR_PREFIX> -- the prefix you are announcing (e.g., 192.0.2.0/24)
  • <YOUR_ASN> -- your ASN
  • <NETACTUATE_ROUTER_IP> -- the NetActuate neighbor IP shown in the portal
  • <NETACTUATE_ASN> -- the NetActuate ASN shown in the portal

Restart BIRD2:

sudo systemctl restart bird

Verify the session:

sudo birdc show protocols all netactuate

The session state should show Established.

Step 4: Assign to an Anycast Group​

  1. Return to Networking → Anycast in the portal.
  2. Select or create an Anycast Group.
  3. Add your new BGP session to the group.
  4. The prefix will now be announced from this location as part of the group.

Step 5: Verify Prefix Propagation​

After the session is established and the prefix is announced:

  1. Check the Prefixes tab in the portal to confirm the prefix status.
  2. Use an external looking glass or BGP route viewer to verify global propagation.

Next Steps​

Need Help?​

Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.