OpenStack Networking
OpenStack Networking allows you to create and
attach interface devices managed by other OpenStack services to
networks. Plug-ins can be implemented to accommodate different
networking equipment and software, providing flexibility to OpenStack
architecture and deployment.
It includes the following components:
neutron-server
Accepts and routes API requests to the appropriate
OpenStack Networking plug-in for action.
OpenStack Networking plug-ins and agents
Plugs and unplugs ports, creates networks or subnets,
and provides IP addressing. These plug-ins and agents differ
depending on the vendor and technologies used in the particular cloud.
OpenStack Networking ships with plug-ins and agents for Cisco
virtual and physical switches, NEC OpenFlow products, Open
vSwitch, Linux bridging, and the VMware NSX product.
The common agents are L3 (layer 3), DHCP (dynamic host IP
addressing), and a plug-in agent.
Messaging queue
Used by most OpenStack Networking installations to route
information between the neutron-server and various agents, as well as a
database to store networking state for particular
plug-ins.
OpenStack Networking mainly interacts with OpenStack Compute to
provide networks and connectivity for its instances.