Why does the ExpressRoute circuit resource have a 'location' field in addition to the peering location?

Question

Can someone provide clarity on the 'location' field for the ExpressRoute circuit resource? My understanding is as follows:

When an ExpressRoute circuit is provisioned, a private connection is established between Microsoft and the customer network (Customer/Parter Edge to Microsoft Edge) at a 'meet me'/peering location. These locations are co-location facilities owned by a third-party (i.e. Equinix) and are separate from the Microsoft owned data centers that form the Azure regions. If this is the case, why does the circuit have a 'location' field with an Azure region value if the circuit itself is located at the colo peering location? Does this field have any impact?

Answer 1

You are correct that the "location" field for an ExpressRoute circuit resource typically refers to the Azure region where the ExpressRoute circuit is configured or associated with. This location value does not directly represent the physical colocation facility where the circuit is terminated or connected to Microsoft's network infrastructure.

The location field in the ExpressRoute circuit resource is primarily used for administrative and organizational purposes within Azure. It helps users categorize and manage their resources based on their geographical or logical placement within Azure regions. Additionally, it may also influence routing decisions within Azure's networking infrastructure.

While the physical connectivity between the customer network and Microsoft's network indeed occurs at the peering location (colocation facility), the circuit resource itself is logically associated with an Azure region for management and routing purposes within the Azure ecosystem.

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hth

Marcin

Answer 2

The Peering Location indicates the physical location where you're peering with Microsoft. This is NOT linked to "Location" property, which refers to the geography where the Azure Network Resource Provider is located. While they're not related, it's a good practice to choose a Network Resource Provider geographically close to the Peering Location of the circuit. The "Location" field itself doesn't impact the physical location of the circuit; it's primarily an organizational aspect within Azure. See the section marked "Important" in this article - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/expressroute/expressroute-howto-circuit-portal-resource-manager?pivots=expressroute-current#create-a-new-expressroute-circuit

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