Configuring physical networks

As an OpenShift administrator, you can create or configure a physical network in the OpenShift Container Platform web console without using the node network configuration policy (NNCP) page. When you use the physical network page in the web console, the NNCP is generated automatically. If you need more flexibility or require complex settings, use the NNCP page.

Creating a physical network by using the OpenShift Container Platform web console

You can create physical networks for OpenShift Virtualization using the OpenShift Container Platform web console to create a network with direct layer 2 connectivity to your data center.

Prerequisites

• You are logged in to the OpenShift Container Platform web console as a user with cluster-admin permissions.

Procedure

1. In the OpenShift Container Platform web console, go to Networking → Physical networks.

2. Click Create network. The Network configuration wizard is displayed.

3. On the Network identity page, enter a name for your network.

4. On the Nodes configuration page, select either Apply to all nodes on the cluster or Apply to specific subsets of nodes using the nodes selector.

   Note

   If you select specific nodes to apply the network to, you can view the matching nodes list to ensure the selection is correct. A validation error is displayed if the selected nodes overlap with another configuration associated with the same network.

5. On the Uplink connection page, select the network interface that you want to connect to the physical network:

   Default node network

   Uses the default node network to access the outside physical network.

   A single interface

   Select a specific physical network interface from the list.

   Warning

   If the selected secondary interface has an IP address on some of the nodes, using it removes the IP address and might disrupt network services.

   Bonding interface

   Configures bonded network interfaces to achieve resilience and higher throughput.

   1. Enter a Bonding name.

   2. Select the Network interfaces to bond.

   3. Select the Aggregation mode from the drop-down menu.

6. On the Settings page, enter a Bridge name and set the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU).

7. Review the configuration details.

8. Click Create.

Verification

1. In the OpenShift Container Platform web console, go to Networking → Physical networks.

2. Locate your new network in the list.

3. Expand the network row to view the associated configurations. Verify that the Enactment state is Available and that the Nodes count matches your expectation.

Expanding a OpenShift Container Platform physical network to include new nodes

You can add one or more OpenShift Container Platform worker nodes to an existing physical network if you want to expand access to that network. Expanding a physical network creates a new configuration under the same logical physical network.

Prerequisites

• You are logged in to the OpenShift Container Platform web console as a user with cluster-admin permissions.

Procedure

1. From the Virtualization perspective, go to Networking → Physical networks.

2. Click the Options menu next to the network that you want to edit.

3. Click Configure nodes. The Network configuration wizard is displayed.

   Note

   The Physical network name is predefined. You cannot edit it during this process.

4. Click Next.

5. On the Nodes configuration page, select either Apply to all nodes on the cluster or Apply to specific subsets of nodes using the nodes selector.

   Note

   If you select specific nodes, you can view the matching nodes list to ensure the selection is correct. A validation error is displayed if the selected nodes overlap with another configuration associated with the same network.

6. On the Uplink connection page, select the network interface to connect to the physical network:

   Default node network

   Uses the default node network to access the outside physical network.

   A single interface

   Select a specific physical network interface from the list.

   Warning

   If the selected secondary interface has an IP address on some of the nodes, using removes the IP address and might disrupt network services.

   Bonding interface

   Configures bonded network interfaces to achieve resilience and higher throughput.

   1. Enter a Bonding name.

   2. Select the Network interfaces to bond.

      Note

      The system displays only the interfaces that all nodes have in common.

   3. Select the Aggregation mode from the drop down options.

7. On the Settings page, enter a Bridge name and set the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU).

8. Review the configuration details.

9. Click Create.

Creating a virtual machine network from a physical network

If your use case does not permit the use of network address translation (NAT), you can give VMs direct layer 2 access by creating a VM network that uses a physical network.

Prerequisites

• You are logged in to the OpenShift Container Platform web console as a user with cluster-admin permissions.

Procedure

1. In the OpenShift Container Platform web console, go to Networking → Physical networks.

2. Click the Options menu next to the network that you want to edit.

3. Click Create a virtual machines network using this physical network. The Create virtual machine network wizard is displayed with the network name populated.

4. Select a Physical network.

5. Optional: Select VLAN tagging and enter a VLAN ID.

6. On the Project mapping page, define which projects can access this network.

7. Click Create.