os-vif/doc/source/reference/glossary.rst
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========
Glossary
========
.. glossary::
Calico
A virtual networking solution that uses IP routing (layer 3) to provide
connectivity in the form of a flat IP network instead of bridging and
tunneling.
Refer to the `Calico documentation`__ for more information.
__ http://docs.projectcalico.org
Fast Path
When used, 6Wind's proprietary fast path technology behaves as a
transparent acceleration layer for traditional switches (:term:`Open
vSwitch`, :term:`Linux Bridge`) and for alternative networking mechanisms
(:term:`Calico`, Midonet).
Linux Bridge
The native networking "backend" found in Linux.
Refer to the `Linux Foundation wiki`__ for more information.
__ https://wiki.linuxfoundation.org/networking/bridge
Open vSwitch
A software implementation of a :term:`virtual multilayer network switch
<vSwitch>`
Refer to the `OVS documentation`__ for more information.
__ http://docs.openvswitch.org
VEB
Virtual Ethernet Bridge
A virtual Ethernet switch that implmented in a virtualized server
environment. It is anything that mimics a traditional external layer 2
(L2) switch or bridge for connecting VMs. Generally implemented as a
:term:`vSwitch`, though hardware-based VEBs using SR-IOV are possible.
Refer to this `Virtual networking technologies brief`__ for more
information.
__ http://cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall14/CSCI-GA.3033-010/Network/SDN.pdf
vSwitch
Virtual Switch
A software-based virtual switch that connects virtual NICs to other
virtual NICs and the broader physical network.
Refer to this `presentation`__ for more information.
__ http://cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall14/CSCI-GA.3033-010/Network/SDN.pdf
VEPA
Virtual Ethernet Port Aggregator
An approach to virtual networking where VM traffic is handled on the
physical network rather than by a virtual switch. Unlike :term:`VNTag`,
frames are not tagged and the switch will use a single port to handle all
:term:`VIFs <VIF>` for a host.
The basis of the :term:`802.1Qbg` spec.
Refer to this `presentation`__ for more information.
__ http://www.ieee802.org/1/files/public/docs2009/new-hudson-vepa_summary-0509.pdf
VN-Tag
VNTag
An approach to virtual networking where an interface virtualizer (IV) is
used in place of a :term:`VEB` to connect multiple :term:`VIFs <VIF>` to a
single, external, IV-capable hardware bridge. Each VIF is tagged with a
unique ID (`vif_id`) which is used to route traffic through IVs, and VIFs
are then treated like any other interface.
The basis of the :term:`802.1Qbh` and :term:`802.1Qbr` specs.
Refer to this `Cisco presentation`__ for more information.
__ https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-27114
vhost
An alternative to :term:`virtio` that allows userspace guest processes to
share *virtqueues* directly with the kernel (or, more specifically, a
kernel module) preventing the QEMU process from becoming a bottleneck.
vhost-user
A variation of :term:`vhost` that operates entirely in userspace. This
allows userspace guest processes to share *virtqueues* with other processes
operating in userspace, such as virtual switches, avoiding the kernel
entirely and maximize performance.
When used, a guest exposes a UNIX socket for its control plane, allowing
the external userspace service to provide the backend data plane via a
mapped memory region. This process must implement the corresponding virtio
vhost protocol, such as :term:`virtio-net` for networking, on this socket.
Refer to the `QEMU documentation`__ for more information.
__ https://github.com/qemu/qemu/blob/master/docs/specs/vhost-user.txt
virtio
A class of virtual device emulated by QEMU. Virtio devices have
*virtqueues* which can be used to share data from host to guest.
Refer to the `libvirt Wiki`__ for more information.
__ https://wiki.libvirt.org/page/Virtio
virtio-net
A network driver implementation based on virtio. Guests share *virtqueues*
with the QEMU process, which in turn receives this traffic and forwards it
to the host.
Refer to the `KVM documentation`__ for more information.
__ http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Virtio
VIF
A virtual network interface.
IEEE 802.1Q
802.1Q
A networking standard that supports virtual LANs (VLANs) on an Ethernet
network.
Refer to the `IEEE spec`__ for more information.
__ http://www.ieee802.org/1/pages/802.1Q.html
IEEE 802.1Qbg
802.1Qbg
An amendment to the :term:`802.1Q` spec known as "Edge Virtual Bridging",
802.1Qbg is an approach to networking where VM traffic is handled on the
physical network rather than by a virtual switch. Originally based on
:term:`VEPA`.
Refer to the `IEEE spec`__ for more information.
__ http://www.ieee802.org/1/pages/802.1bg.html
IEEE 802.1Qbh
802.1Qbh
A withdrawn amendment to the :term:`802.1Q` spec known as "Bridge Port
Extensions", replaced by :term:`802.1Qbr` spec.
Refer to the `IEEE spec`__ for more information.
__ http://www.ieee802.org/1/pages/802.1bh.html
IEEE 802.1Qbr
802.1Qbr
An amendment to the :term:`802.1Q` spec known as "Bridge Port Extensions",
Refer to the `IEEE spec`__ for more information.
__ http://www.ieee802.org/1/pages/802.1br.html
tc
A framework for interacting with traffic control settings (QoS,
essentially) in the Linux kernel.
Refer to the `tc(8) man page`__ for more information.
__ https://linux.die.net/man/8/tc
SR-IOV
Single Root I/O Virtualization
An extension to the PCI Express (PCIe) specification that allows a device,
typically a network adapter, to split access to its resources among
various PCIe hardware functions, :term:`physical <PF>` or :term:`virtual
<VF>`.
Refer to this `article by Scott Lowe`__ or the original `PCI-SIG spec`__
(paywall) for more information.
__ http://blog.scottlowe.org/2009/12/02/what-is-sr-iov/
__ https://members.pcisig.com/wg/PCI-SIG/document/download/8272
PF
Physical Function
In SR-IOV, a PCIe function that has full configuration resources. An
SR-IOV device can have *up to* 8 PFs, though this varies between devices.
A PF would typically correspond to a single interface on a NIC.
Refer to this `article by Scott Lowe`__ for more information.
__ http://blog.scottlowe.org/2009/12/02/what-is-sr-iov/
VF
Virtual Function
In SR-IOV, a PCIe function that lacks configuration resources. An SR-IOV
device can have *up to* 256 VFs, though this varies between devices. A VF
must be of the same type as the parent device's :term:`PF`.
Refer to this `article by Scott Lowe`__ for more information.
__ http://blog.scottlowe.org/2009/12/02/what-is-sr-iov/