54 lines
3.0 KiB
Plaintext
54 lines
3.0 KiB
Plaintext
The Modular Layer 2 (ML2) plugin is a framework allowing OpenStack
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Networking to simultaneously utilize the variety of layer 2 networking
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technologies found in complex real-world data centers. It supports the
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Open vSwitch, Linux bridge, and Hyper-V L2 agents, replacing and
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deprecating the monolithic plugins previously associated with those
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agents, and can also support hardware devices and SDN controllers. The
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ML2 framework is intended to greatly simplify adding support for new
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L2 networking technologies, requiring much less initial and ongoing
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effort than would be required for an additional monolithic core
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plugin. It is also intended to foster innovation through its
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organization as optional driver modules.
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The ML2 plugin supports all the non-vendor-specific neutron API
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extensions, and works with the standard neutron DHCP agent. It
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utilizes the service plugin interface to implement the L3 router
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abstraction, allowing use of either the standard neutron L3 agent or
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alternative L3 solutions. Additional service plugins can also be used
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with the ML2 core plugin.
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Drivers within ML2 implement separately extensible sets of network
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types and of mechanisms for accessing networks of those types. Unlike
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with the metaplugin, multiple mechanisms can be used simultaneously to
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access different ports of the same virtual network. Mechanisms can
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utilize L2 agents via RPC and/or interact with external devices or
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controllers. By utilizing the multiprovidernet extension, virtual
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networks can be composed of multiple segments of the same or different
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types. Type and mechanism drivers are loaded as python entrypoints
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using the stevedore library.
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Each available network type is managed by an ML2 type driver. Type
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drivers maintain any needed type-specific network state, and perform
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provider network validation and tenant network allocation. As of the
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havana release, drivers for the local, flat, vlan, gre, and vxlan
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network types are included.
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Each available networking mechanism is managed by an ML2 mechanism
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driver. All registered mechanism drivers are called twice when
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networks, subnets, and ports are created, updated, or deleted. They
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are first called as part of the DB transaction, where they can
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maintain any needed driver-specific state. Once the transaction has
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been committed, they are called again, at which point they can
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interact with external devices and controllers. Mechanism drivers are
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also called as part of the port binding process, to determine whether
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the associated mechanism can provide connectivity for the network, and
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if so, the network segment and VIF driver to be used. The havana
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release includes mechanism drivers for the Open vSwitch, Linux bridge,
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and Hyper-V L2 agents, for Arista and Cisco switches, and for the
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Tail-f NCS. It also includes an L2 Population mechanism driver that
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can help optimize tunneled virtual network traffic.
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For additional information regarding the ML2 plugin and its collection
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of type and mechanism drivers, see the OpenStack manuals and
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http://wiki.openstack.org/wiki/Neutron/ML2.
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