In Chapter 3, SDN Protocols, we introduced Open vSwitch (OVS) the most popular virtual switch in OpenStack deployment and in Chapter 4, SDN Networking with Open vSwitch, we peeked under the hood to gain insights on the building blocks of OpenFlow based networking with Open vSwitch, discussing how it communicates with SDN controllers and interfaces with OpenStack Neutron. This chapter aims to build on this to gain understanding on Open vSwitch packet flows in OpenStack Neutron. It will start with introducing various interfaces, such as br-int
, br-tun
, and br-ex
, and explain how Neutron uses these OVS switches to offer networking as a service.
SDN at layer 2 and 3 along with Network Function Virtualization (NFV) features at layers 4 and above, executing in general purpose servers with Linux OS, are emerging as an attractive alternative to propriety solutions from networking vendors. Open vSwitch continues to evolve to address performance requirements...