15  References and Further Reading

15.1 IETF RFCs

15.1.1 RFC 8926 - GENEVE

Geneve: Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation

  • URL: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8926
  • Year: 2020
  • Authors: J. Gross, I. Ganga, T. Sridhar
  • Relevance: Defines the GENEVE protocol used by OVN for overlay networks. Specifies TEP (Tunnel Endpoint) terminology, not VTEP.

15.1.2 RFC 3021 - /31 Point-to-Point Links

Using 31-Bit Prefixes on IPv4 Point-to-Point Links

  • URL: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3021
  • Year: 2000
  • Authors: R. Retana, R. White, D. McPherson, S. Sangli
  • Relevance: Defines /31 addressing for point-to-point links, used throughout our design for host-to-ToR and ToR-to-spine connections.

15.1.3 RFC 7432 - BGP MPLS-Based Ethernet VPN

BGP MPLS-Based Ethernet VPN (EVPN)

  • URL: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7432
  • Year: 2015
  • Relevance: EVPN specification. Not used in our design - we use pure L3 BGP/ECMP instead.

15.2 OpenStack and OVN Documentation

15.2.1 OVN Architecture

  • URL: https://www.ovn.org/en/architecture/
  • Source: OVN Project
  • Relevance: Official OVN architecture documentation explaining Northbound/Southbound databases, ovn-controller, and logical networking.

15.2.2 Red Hat OpenStack Platform - Networking with OVN

  • URL: https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_openstack_platform/14/html-single/networking_with_open_virtual_network/index
  • Source: Red Hat
  • Relevance: Comprehensive guide to OVN in OpenStack, including architecture, deployment, and configuration.

15.2.3 OpenStack OVN Wiki

  • URL: https://wiki.openstack.org/wiki/Networking-ovn
  • Source: OpenStack Foundation
  • Relevance: OpenStack-specific OVN networking documentation and best practices.

15.2.4 OpenStack Neutron OVS/OVN Requirements

  • URL: https://docs.openstack.org/neutron/latest/install/ovs-ovn-requirements.html
  • Source: OpenStack
  • Relevance: Version compatibility requirements for OVS and OVN in OpenStack deployments.

15.2.5 OpenStack OVN Installation Guide

  • URL: https://static.openstack.org/docs/networking-ovn/1.0.0/install.html
  • Source: OpenStack
  • Relevance: Step-by-step OVN installation guide for OpenStack.

15.3 Canonical OpenStack

15.3.1 Canonical OpenStack Design Considerations

  • URL: https://canonical-openstack.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/latest/explanation/design-considerations/
  • Source: Canonical
  • Relevance: Design considerations for Canonical’s OpenStack deployment, including network architecture and L3 underlay recommendations.

15.3.2 Canonical OpenStack Charm Guide - OVN

  • URL: https://docs.openstack.org/charm-guide/latest/admin/networking/ovn/index.html
  • Source: Canonical/OpenStack
  • Relevance: OVN networking configuration in Canonical’s OpenStack deployment.

15.4 General Networking References

15.4.1 Open vSwitch

  • URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_vSwitch
  • Source: Wikipedia
  • Relevance: Overview of Open vSwitch, the data plane forwarding engine.

15.4.2 OVN (Open Virtual Network)

  • URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OVN
  • Source: Wikipedia
  • Relevance: Overview of OVN, the control plane for OVS.

15.4.3 OpenStack Architecture Guide

  • URL: https://docs.openstack.org/arch-design/ArchGuide.pdf
  • Source: OpenStack Foundation
  • Relevance: General OpenStack architecture principles, including L3 underlay design.

15.5 Video Resources

15.5.1 Practical OVN Architecture, Deployment, and Scale of OpenStack

  • URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okralc7LrZo
  • Relevance: Practical overview of OVN architecture and deployment in OpenStack environments.

15.5.2 OpenStack and OVN: What’s New with OVS 2.7

  • URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgc7myiX6ts
  • Relevance: Latest developments in OVS and OVN integration with OpenStack.

15.6 Kubernetes Integration

15.6.1 OVN-Kubernetes

  • URL: https://github.com/ovn-org/ovn-kubernetes
  • Source: OVN Project
  • Relevance: OVN-Kubernetes CNI plugin that integrates Kubernetes with OVN, allowing pods to use the same GENEVE overlay as OpenStack VMs.

15.7 Tools and Software

15.7.1 FRR (Free Range Routing)

  • URL: https://frrouting.org/
  • Relevance: Open-source routing suite used for BGP configuration in our design.

15.7.2 Open vSwitch

  • URL: https://www.openvswitch.org/
  • Relevance: Official Open vSwitch project website.

15.8 Design Principles

The architecture described in this book follows these established principles:

  1. Pure L3 Underlay: Modern datacenter best practice for scalability and simplicity
  2. Host-Based TEPs: Aligns with OVN’s design where TEPs are at hypervisors
  3. Independent A/B Fabrics: Provides fault isolation and operational simplicity
  4. Clos/Leaf-Spine Topology: Industry-standard for hyperscale datacenters
  5. BGP/ECMP Routing: Standard protocols for route advertisement and load balancing

These principles are validated by: - Hyperscale datacenter designs (Google, Facebook, Microsoft) - Large-scale OpenStack deployments - Modern AI/ML fabric architectures - Industry best practices for cloud networking