Book Image

Learning OpenStack Networking (Neutron)

By : James Denton
Book Image

Learning OpenStack Networking (Neutron)

By: James Denton

Overview of this book

OpenStack Neutron is an OpenStack component that provides networking as a service for other OpenStack services to architect networks and create virtual machines through its API. This API lets you define network connectivity in order to leverage network capabilities to cloud deployments. Through this practical book, you will build a strong foundational knowledge of Neutron, and will architect and build an OpenStack cloud using advanced networking features. We start with an introduction to OpenStack Neutron and its various components, including virtual switching, routing, FWaaS, VPNaaS, and LBaaS. You’ll also get hands-on by installing OpenStack and Neutron and its components, and use agents and plugins to orchestrate network connectivity and build a virtual switching infrastructure. Moving on, you’ll get to grips with the HA routing capabilities utilizing VRRP and distributed virtual routers in Neutron. You’ll also discover load balancing fundamentals, including the difference between nodes, pools, pool members, and virtual IPs. You’ll discover the purpose of security groups and learn how to apply the security concept to your cloud/tenant/instance. Finally, you' ll configure virtual private networks that will allow you to avoid the use of SNAT and floating IPs when connecting to remote networks.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
Learning OpenStack Networking (Neutron) Second Edition
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Fundamentals of load balancing


There are three major components to a load balancer in Neutron:

  • Pool members

  • Pools

  • Virtual IPs

A pool member is a layer 4 object that is composed of the IP address and listening port of a service. For example, a pool member might be a web server with a configured IP address of 10.30.0.2 listening on TCP port 80.

A pool is a group of pool members that typically serve identical content. A pool composed of web servers, for example, may resemble the following membership:

  • Server A: 10.30.0.2:80

  • Server B: 10.30.0.4:80

  • Server C: 10.30.0.6:80

A virtual IP, or VIP, is an IP address that resides on the load balancer and listens for incoming connections. The load balancer then balances client connections among the members of the associated pool. A virtual IP is usually exposed to the Internet and often mapped to a domain name.

Note

The term virtual IP is also used in reference to VRRP, a router redundancy protocol, and should not be confused with its use in the context of load balancing...