Network Resource

ZStack network resource mainly includes:
  • Network diagram
  • SDN controller
  • L2 network resource
  • L3 network
  • Route resource
  • VPC

Network Diagram

The diagram not only provides a direct display of global diagrams on the cloud and helps you to analyze network problems, but also enables you to generate custom network diagrams where you can quickly locate the resource states.

SDN Controller

By adding SDN controllers, you can take over the SDN networks of hardware switches on the cloud to lower the network latency and improve the VXLAN network performance.

L2 Network Resource

An L2 network resource includes a VXLAN pool and an L2 network.
  • An L2 network corresponds to a layer 2 broadcast domain. This L2 network supports multiple network types, such as L2NoVlanNetwork, L2VlanNetwork, VxlanNetwork, and HardwareVxlanNetwork.
  • L2NoVlanNetwork and L2VlanNetwork is a group that must be identical to the configurations of compute node ports on the switch sides.
  • Both VXLAN Pool and VxlanNetwork with the hardware SDN type provide the VxlanNetwork configurations. Before you use VxlanNetwork, create a VXLAN Pool first. After you create the VXLAN Pool successfully, create VxlanNetwork by specifying or randomly choosing VNIs.
  • Both VXLAN Pool and HardwareVxlanNetwork with the hardware type provide the HardwareVxlanNetwork configurations. Before you use HardwareVxlanNetwork, create a VXLAN Pool first. After you create the VXLAN Pool successfully, create HardwareVxlanNetwork by specifying or randomly choosing VNIs.

L3 Network

An L3 network can serve as a sub-resource of the L2 network. Mainly based on the L2 network, the L3 network provides the network configurations for VM instances, including the IP range, gateway, DNS and network service.

Route Resource

ZStack provides the network services of VM instances by using custom Linux VM instances to serve as routing devices. Related route resources mainly include vRouters, vRouter images, vRouter offerings, and vRouter tables.

VPC

VPC is the custom private cloud network environment that is jointly comprised by a VPC vRouter and a VPC network. VPC can help enterprise users to build a logically isolated private cloud. In addition, VPC features lie at the flexible network configuration, secure, reliable isolation, and optimization of east-west network traffic direction. A VPC network can act as a private VPC network to provide multiple network services by using a VPC vRouter.

Network Usage Procedure

You need to first create an L2 network, and then use it to create an L3 network. Finally, use these networks to provide multiple network services.

Network Architecture Model

ZStack supports three basic network architecture models: flat network, vRouter network, and VPC.
  1. Flat Network
    • A flat network supports multiple network services: DHCP, EIP, security group, and User Data.
    • The network services of the flat network adopt the distributed DHCP and the distributed EIP structure.
    • The DHCP service of the flat network can also include the DNS feature.
    • The network model used by the initialization guide adopts the flat network.
    • ZStack supports the flat network infrastructure based on both VxlanNetwork and HardwareVxlanNetwork.
  2. vRouter Network
    • A vRouter network can support multiple network services: DHCP, DNS, SNAT, vRouter table, EIP, port forwarding, load balancing, IPsec tunnel, and security group.
    • The DHCP service of the vRouter network adopts the distributed DHCP by default.
    • The vRouter provides multiple network services by mainly using custom Linux VM instances as routing devices.
    • ZStack supports the vRouter network infrastructure based on VxlanNetwork.
  3. VPC
    • VPC supports also multiple network services: DHCP, DNS, SNAT, vRouter table, EIP, port forwarding, load balancing, IPsec tunnel, security group, dynamic routing, multicast routing, VPC firewall, and Netflow.
    • The DHCP service of a VPC adopts the distributed DHCP by default.
    • VPC provides multiple network services by mainly using custom Linux VM instances as VPC vRouters.
    • Network services such as port forwarding, load balancing, IPsec tunnel, and vRouter table can apply to multiple subnets of a VPC simultaneously to further improve network efficiencies.
    • ZStack supports the VPC network infrastructure based on VxlanNetwork.
    • ZStack supports the distributed routing feature to optimize east-west network traffics, and to lower network latencies.

For more information about the network service, see Network Service.

Network Protocol

ZStack public network, flat network, and VPC network support two network protocols: IPv4 and IPv6. You can create an IPv4 network, an IPv6 network, or an IPv4+IPv6 network as needed.