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Magic WAN
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Magic WAN
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  1. Products
  2. Magic WAN
  3. ...
  4. Configure with Connector
  5. Configure hardware Connector

Configure Magic WAN Connector

​​ Prerequisites

You need to purchase Magic WAN before you can purchase and use the Magic WAN Connector. The Magic WAN Connector can function as your primary edge device for your network, or be deployed in-line with existing network gear.

You also need to purchase Magic WAN Connector before you can start configuring your settings in the Cloudflare dashboard. Contact your account representative to learn more about purchasing options for the Magic WAN Connector device. After buying Magic WAN Connector, the device will be registered with your Cloudflare account and show up in your Cloudflare dashboard.

​​ 1. Configure Cloudflare dashboard settings

​​ 1. Create a site

Sites represent the local network where you have installed your Magic WAN Connector — for example, a branch office location.

You need to create a site and set up all the settings associated with it before you can connect your Magic WAN Connector to the Internet.

To add a site:

  1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard and select your account.
  2. Go to Magic WAN > Sites.
  3. Select Create to create a new site and start the configuration wizard.
  4. Add a name and description for your new site.
  5. Under Connector, select Add Connector. This will show you a list of Magic WAN Connector devices associated with your account. You need to have bought a Connector already for it to show up here. Refer to Prerequisites if no Connector shows in this list.
  6. If you have more than one Connector, choose the one that corresponds to the site you are creating. Connectors are identified by a serial number, also known as a service tag. Use this information to choose the right Connector. Select Add Connector when you are ready to proceed.
  7. The Connector will be added to your site with an Interrupt window defined. The interrupt window is the time period when the Magic WAN Connector software can update, which may result in interruption to existing connections. You can change this later. Refer to Interrupt window for more details on how to define when the Connector can update its systems.
  8. Select Next to proceed to creating your WAN and LAN networks.

​​ 2. Create a WAN

  1. In WAN configuration, select Create. You can create one or more wide area networks (WANs). Configuring multiple WANs will create multiple IPsec tunnels. This allows the Connector to failover between circuits according to their health.
  2. In Network name, enter a descriptive name for your WAN.
  3. In VLAN ID, enter a number between 0 and 4094 to specify a VLAN ID.
  4. Physical port refers to the physical Magic WAN Connector Ethernet port that you are using for your WAN. The ports are labeled GE1, GE2, GE3, GE4, GE5, and GE6. Choose the number corresponding to the port that you are using in Connector.
  5. In Priority, choose the priority for your WAN. Lower numbers have higher priority. Refer to Traffic steering to learn more about how Cloudflare calculates priorities.
  6. Addressing: Specify whether the WAN IP is fetched from a DHCP server or if it is a static IP. If you choose a static IP, you also need to specify the static IP and gateway addresses.

An example of how to configure you Magic WAN Connector WAN
  1. Select Save when you are finished.

​​ 3. Create a LAN

  1. In LAN configuration, select Create.

  2. Enter a descriptive name for your LAN in Network name.

  3. Physical interface refers to the physical Magic WAN Connector Ethernet port that you are using for your LAN. The ports are labeled GE1, GE2, GE3, GE4, GE5, and GE6. Choose a number corresponding to the port that you are using in Connector.

  4. In VLAN ID, specify a VLAN ID to create virtual LANs.

  5. In Static addressing > Static address give your Connector’s LAN interface its IP address. You can also enable the following options if they suit your use case:

    • This is a DHCP server: If your Connector is a DHCP server.
    • This is a DHCP relay: If your Connector is a DHCP relay.

  6. (Optional) In Directly attached subnet > Static NAT prefix, enter a CIDR prefix to enable NAT (network address translation). The prefix you enter here should be the same size as the prefix entered in Static addressing. For example, both networks have a subnet mask of /24: 192.168.100.0/24 and 10.10.100.0/24.

  7. (Optional) If your LAN contains additional subnets behind a layer 3 router, select Add routed subnet under Routed subnets to add them:

    • Prefix: The CIDR prefix for the subnet behind the L3 router.

    • Next hop: The address of the L3 router to which the Connector should forward packets for this subnet.

    • Static NAT prefix: Optional setting. If you want to enable NAT for a routed subnet, supply an “external” prefix for the overlay-facing side of the NAT to use. It must be the same size as Prefix.

      Refer to Routed subnets for more information.

  8. Select Save.

  9. Select Save and exit to finish your configuration. Tunnels and static routes will be automatically created and associated with your site once the Magic WAN Connector boots up (refer to the next step).

​​ Network segmentation

After setting up your LANs, you can configure your Connector to enable communication between them without traffic leaving your premises. Refer to Network segmentation for more information.

​​ DHCP options

Magic WAN Connector supports different types of DHCP configurations. Connector can:

  • Connect to a DHCP server or use a static IP address instead of connecting to a DHCP server.
  • Act as a DHCP server.
  • Use DHCP relay to connect to a DHCP server outside the location your Magic WAN Connector is in.
  • Reserve IP addresses for specific devices on your network.

Refer to DHCP options to learn more.

​​ 2. Set up your Magic WAN Connector

​​ Device installation

There are several deployment options for Magic WAN Connector. Connector can act like a DHCP server for your local network, or integrate with your local set up and have static IP addresses assigned to it.

​​ Firewall settings required

If there is a firewall deployed upstream of the Magic WAN Connector, configure the firewall to allow the following traffic:

  • UDP/53 (DNS destination IP 1.1.1.1): Needed to allow DNS traffic to Cloudflare DNS servers. Cloudflare uses this port for DNS lookups of control plane API endpoints.
  • TCP/443: The Connector will open outbound HTTPS connections over this port for control plane operations.
  • UDP/4500 (destination IP 162.159.64.1): Needed for Connector’s initialization and discovery traffic through outbound connections.
  • UDP/4500 (destination IP - Cloudflare Anycast IPs): Needed for the Cloudflare Anycast IPs assigned to your account for tunnel outbound connections. This traffic is tunnel traffic.
  • TCP/7844, UDP/7844 Outbound connections: This is for debugging facilities in the connector.

​​ 3. Activate connector

The Magic WAN Connector is shipped to you deactivated, and will only establish a connection to the Cloudflare network when it is activated. Cloudflare recommends leaving it deactivated until you finish setting it up in the dashboard.

When the Connector is first activated, one of the ports must be connected to the Internet through a device that supports DHCP. This is required so that the Connector can reach the Cloudflare global network and download the required configurations that you set up in the site configuration step.

When you are ready to connect your Magic WAN Connector to the Cloudflare network:

  1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard and select your account.
  2. Go to Magic WAN > Configuration > Connectors.
  3. Find the Connector you want to activate, select the three dots next to it > Edit. Make sure you verify the serial number to choose the right connector you want to activate.
  4. In the new window, the Status dropdown will show as Deactivated. Select it to change the status to Activated.
  5. The Interrupt window is the time period when the Magic WAN Connector software can update, which may result in interruption to existing connections. Choose a time period to minimize disruption to your sites. Refer to Interrupt window for more details on how to define when the Connector can update its systems.
  6. Select Update.

​​ WAN with a static IP address

After activating your Connector, you can use it in a network configuration based on a static IP address — that is, a network configuration without a route to the Internet that has DHCP enabled.

To use your Connector on a network configuration with a static IP:

  1. Wait 60 seconds after activating your Connector.
  2. Unplug the physical connection to the Internet-connected device which provides DHCP.
  3. Adjust your physical connections as required to match the configuration specified in the site configuration step (for example, static IP WAN plugged into physical port with no DHCP connection).
  4. Power cycle the Connector.

​​ IP sec tunnels and static routes

Magic WAN Connector automatically creates IPsec tunnels and static routes for you. You cannot configure these manually.

To check the IPsec tunnels and static routes created by your Magic WAN Connector:

  1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard and select your account.
  2. Go to Magic WAN > Sites.
  3. Select the name of the site for which you want to check the Connector’s IPsec tunnels and static routes, and select Edit.
  4. Select Tunnels to check IPsec tunnels, and Routes for the static routes.

​​ Next steps