OpenStack Networking (Neutron) has modular layer 2 plugin (ML2) to allow multiple backends to provide underlay networks based on user choice in the same cloud but there was a lock in for L3 service plugin, users could have only one choice of L3 service until the L3 flavors framework was introduced. L3 flavors enables the cloud to serve multiple backends in a single deployment. This serves many use cases where users want to have special mapping for underlay and overlay networks and they can have router of multiple choices. Each backend that serves virtual routing and forwarding needs to implement a L3 flavor drivers using neutron L3 flavor framework. This talk will focus on few use cases for different clouds and give an overview about writing a L3 flavor driver for any backend. Also, we will discuss floating ip compatibility and how datapath can look like with multiple L3 backends in a cloud.
Attendees will learn about L3 flavor framework in openstack neutron, the use cases of having multiple L3 router backends and also about the issues it addresses for existing l3 service plugin. We will also cover how floating ip operation compatibility is handled and invalid operations are ignored. An overview to implement a backend driver will be provided, so vendors can learn where to start in order to integrate the router type with L3 flavor framework. It will also provide an example of flavors driver for OpenDaylight backend.
