OpenStack L2 Access SwitchesΒΆ

L2 access switches connect the StarlingX OpenStack hosts to the different networks. Proper configuration of the access ports is necessary to ensure proper traffic flow.

One or more L2 switches can be used to connect the StarlingX OpenStack hosts to the different networks. When sharing a single L2 switch you must ensure proper isolation of the network traffic. Here is an example of how to configure a shared L2 switch:

  • one port-based VLAN for the internal management network and cluster host network

  • one port-based VLAN for the OAM network

  • one or more sets of VLANs for data networks. For example:

    • one set of VLANs with good QoS for bronze projects

    • one set of VLANs with better QoS for silver projects

    • one set of VLANs with the best QoS for gold projects

When using multiple L2 switches, there are several deployment possibilities. Here are some examples:

  • A single L2 switch for the internal management, cluster host, and OAM networks. Port- or MAC-based network isolation is mandatory.

  • One or more L2 switches, not necessarily inter-connected, with one L2 switch per data network.

  • Redundant L2 switches to support link aggregation, using either a failover model, or VPC for more robust redundancy.

See Kubernetes Platform Planning for additional considerations related to L2 switches.