OpenStack Summit November 2013

Networking with OpenStack Neutron requires a different mindset around IP networking than conventional physical topologies. Understanding Linux namespaces is critical to troubleshooting Openstack Neutron networking and understanding of neutron network topology. A key element of this shift is use of Linux network namespaces, introduced in Folsom.

What more, without a thorough understanding of how namespaces organize and abstract L3 routers, DHCP servers within the network and subnets spaces, network-induced downtime can be difficult to resolve.

Namespaces enables multiple instances of a routing table to co-exist within the same Linux box (like virtual routing and forwarding (vrf) in routers), within the network and subnets spaces, per tenant. It introduces a whole realm of networking flexibility, which can be critical in production Openstack deployments -- but can also contradicts the logic applied by experienced IP network admins and lead troubleshooting off a cliff.

This technical deep dive into Openstack Neutron Namespaces and IPtables wil give attendees will get a clear understanding of these building blocks of OpenStack L3 and DHCP agents. Wel show how to go about troubleshooting L3 issues, and how to apply this more robust networking abstraction in distributed OpenStack environments.