Virtual Networks

Virtual Networks emulate physical networks and hardware such as routers and switches to allow the communication between computers, virtual machines, and other devices across various locations. This functionality enables resources separated by vast distances to be connected, pooled, and managed as if they were under one roof.

VM Squared manages both Layer 2 and Layer 3 segmentation and Layer 3 IP Address management for Virtual Networks. Creating a new VNet requires knowing a few pieces of information. If connectivity is desired outside of the VM Squared cluster, the VLAN ID must also be added to trunk ports from the upstream switch fabric into the VM Squared fabric.

Firstly, navigate to Networks then Virtual Networks and click on the . Now you will need to input the required information and make appropriate selections. The listing below starts in the General tab and works to the right down the row. Some fields are not addressed as they are optional.

General options#

Name

Arbitrary name of network. Logical names that contain details about the network are useful, but not required.

Cluster

Usually leave as default if you only have a single cloud zone.

VLAN ID

802.1Q VLAN tag to be used on the network. A value of 0 indicates the untagged network.

MTU of the interface

Maximum Transmission Unit, the largest size for Ethernet packets that will be passed on this network. Typical values are 1500 or 9000 bytes. Larger values can help reduce CPU load but must be configured on routers and VMs. If set, this value should match the value in the Context menu. Blank implies 1500.

Advanced Options#

Address Ranges#

Addresses are assigned by creating one or more Address Ranges.

You can select the type of Address Range from one of:

• IPv4 - Only IPv4 addresses are assigned
• IPv4/6 - IPv4 and IPv6 SLAAC addresses are assigned
• IPv6 - Only IPv6 SLAAC addresses are assigned
• IPv6 (no-SLAAC) - Only fixed non-global IPv6 addresses are assigned
• Ethernet - No IP addresses are configured

Depending on the type of range some or all of the following fields are available.

First IPv4 address

The first statically assigned IPv4 address available for assignment to VMs on this range.

First IPv6 address

The first statically assigned IPv6 address available for assignment to VMs on this range.

IPv6 Global prefix

Globally routable prefix for assignment to VMs on this range.

IPv6 ULA prefix

Unique Local Address non-globally reachable prefix for assignment to VMs on this range.

First MAC address

Defines the NIC MAC addresses when attaching VMs to this range. Can be blank.

Size

Number of addresses to be used starting from the First IPv4 address value.

Custom Information

User-defined metadata used to annotate the address range.

Security#

Select security groups to apply to this Virtual Network.

Select one or more Security Groups to apply to this Virtual Network. The resulting firewall rules are an additive combination of all selected Security Groups, so avoid “Allow All” groups if you intend to restrict network traffic.

QoS#

Inbound and Outbound traffic can be restricted using these rules.

Average bandwidth

Limit for average bandwidth in kilobytes per second.

Peak bandwidth

Limit bandwidth peaks beyond this value in kilobytes per second.

Peak burst

Volume of data that can be transmitted at the peak bandwidth speed before limiting back to average bandwidth.

Context#

Context is used for values to be given to VMs attached to this Virtual Network.

Network address

Address of the subnet. The network address is the first address of the subnet and typically unusable by clients.

Network mask

Subnet mask used to assign allowable addresses in the range using four-octet form where /24 = 255.255.255.0

Gateway

The default IPv4 gateway for all IP traffic on this network.

IPv6 Gateway

The default IPv6 gateway for all IP traffic on this network.

DNS

List of DNS servers, space separated.

MTU of the Guest interfaces

MTU set on VM’s NICs using this network. This should match the value of MTU set in the General options of the Virtual Network. Blank implies 1500.

Method

Means used to set an IP address on the VMs using this network

• none (Use default) - uses “static” option, VM contextualization via a temporary context disk
• dhcp (DHCPv4) - DHCP is used to setup the VM network configuration
• skip (Do not configure IPv4) - IPv4 is not setup on VMs using this network
• static (Based on context) - VM contextualization via a temporary context disk

External Infrastructure Network#

An External Infrastructure Network is created implicitly when, for instance, an iSCSI LUN is used by a VM^2 node as storage.

To make a Virtual Network that taps into the External Infrastructure Network one configures the Virtual Network details and in addition provides a BRIDGE Custom Attribute with a value in the form: extinfra.<vlan_id>.

Conversely, it is not possible to create a Virtual Network with a VLAN ID being used by an External Infrastructure Network unless the expected BRIDGE value is provided as well.

Virtual Network Templates#

This process can become tedious to set for multiple tenants; therefore, if the general options will be reused for several entities, a Network Template can be created in the same manner as outlined above with the exception of clicking Network Templates in lieu of Virtual Networks.

All of the creation, physical emulation, and management is controlled by VM Squared to present a simplified dashboard to easily instantiate the various portions of the Virtual Network and add machines and attributes to define the access and security.

Reserve#

Address Reservations can remove an IP from the available subnet in the defined Address Range. A reservation behaves like a child of an existing Virtual Network containing a subset of the parent Virtual Network’s addresses. The addresses in the reservation cannot be used in the parent Virtual Network while they are part of the Reservation.

Updating a Virtual Network#

Select a Virtual Network and press the Update button to change the settings of an existing Virtual Network. When done making changes, click Finish to apply the settings.