Abstract: In general, techniques are described for performing network segmentation for container orchestration platforms. A network controller comprising a memory and processing circuitry may be configured to perform the techniques. The memory may be configured to store a request, conforming to a container orchestration platform, to configure a new pod of a plurality of pods with a primary interface to communicate on a virtual network to segment a network formed by the plurality of pods. The processing circuitry may be configured to configure, responsive to the request, the new pod with the primary interface to enable communications via the virtual network.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described for performing pre-deployment checks to ensure that a computing environment is suitably configured for deploying a containerized software-defined networking (SDN) architecture system, and for performing post-deployment checks to determine the operational state of the containerized SDN architecture system after deployment to the computing environment.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for a network device to preserve packet flow information across bump-in-the-wire (BITW) firewalls. For example, a method comprises receiving, by a network device, a packet. The method also comprises determining, by the network device, that the packet matches a packet flow that is associated with an action to redirect the packet to a firewall configured as a bump-in-the-wire. The method further comprises, in response to the determination: modifying, by the network device, a Media Access Control (MAC) address field of a layer 2 (L2) packet header with a flow identifier of the packet flow; sending, by the network device, the packet to the firewall; receiving, by the network device, the packet from the firewall; and recovering, by the network device, the packet flow by modifying the packet according to the flow identifier in the packet to restore the L2 packet header of the packet.

Abstract: An example network device includes memory, a communication unit, and processing circuitry coupled to the memory and the communication unit. The processing circuitry is configured to receive first samples of flows from an interface of another network device sampled at a first sampling rate and determine a first parameter based on the first samples. The processing circuitry is configured to receive second samples of flows from the interface sampled at a second sampling rate, wherein the second sampling rate is different than the first sampling rate and determine a second parameter based on the second samples. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a third sampling rate based on the first parameter and the second parameter, control the communication unit to transmit a signal indicative of the third sampling rate to the another network device; and receive third samples of flows from the interface sampled at the third sampling rate.

Abstract: An example application programming interface (API) server device that distributes configuration data to managed network devices includes one or more processing units implemented in circuitry and configured to receive configuration data to be deployed to at least one of the managed network devices; store the configuration data to a configuration database; and send the configuration data to the at least one of the managed network devices. In this manner, the configuration data can be archived for later retrieval and analysis, e.g., to perform root cause analysis in the event of an error.

Abstract: In an example, a method comprises obtaining, by a policy controller from a first SDN architecture system, flow metadata for packet flows exchanged among workloads of a distributed application deployed to the first SDN architecture system; identifying, using flow metadata for a packet flow of the packet flows, a source endpoint workload and a destination endpoint workload of the packet flow; generating a network policy rule to allow packet flows from the source endpoint workload to the destination endpoint workload of the packet flow; and adding the network policy rule to a configuration repository as configuration data for a second SDN architecture system to cause a deployment system to configure the second SDN architecture system with the network policy rule to allow packet flows from the source endpoint workload to the destination endpoint workload when the distributed application is deployed to the second SDN architecture system.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described for an efficient exportation of metrics data within a software defined network (SDN) architecture. A network controller for a software-defined networking (SDN) architecture system comprising processing circuitry may implement the techniques. A telemetry node configured for execution by the processing circuitry may process a request by which to enable a metric group that defines a subset of metrics from a plurality of metrics to export from compute nodes. The telemetry node may also transform, based on the request to enable the metric group, the subset of the one or more metrics into telemetry exporter configuration data that configures a telemetry exporter deployed at the compute nodes to export the subset of the metrics. The telemetry node may also interface with the telemetry exporter to configure, based on the telemetry exporter configuration data, the telemetry exporter to export the subset of the metrics.

Abstract: A method includes subscribing, by an agent, to telemetry flow data from each network device of a plurality of network devices and receiving, by the agent, a plurality of streams of telemetry flow data from the plurality of the network devices. Each of the plurality of streams corresponds to a different one of the plurality of network devices. The method further includes aggregating, by the agent, data from at least one stream of the plurality of streams of the telemetry flow data received over a period of time and, at the end of the period of time and/or when the data from the at least one stream exceeds a data threshold, sending, by the agent, the aggregated telemetry flow data to a network analyzer device.

Abstract: In an example, a method comprises obtaining, by a policy controller from a first SDN architecture system, flow metadata for packet flows exchanged among workloads of a distributed application deployed to the first SDN architecture system; identifying, using flow metadata for a packet flow of the packet flows, a source endpoint workload and a destination endpoint workload of the packet flow; generating a network policy rule to allow packet flows from the source endpoint workload to the destination endpoint workload of the packet flow; and adding the network policy rule to a configuration repository as configuration data for a second SDN architecture system to cause a deployment system to configure the second SDN architecture system with the network policy rule to allow packet flows from the source endpoint workload to the destination endpoint workload when the distributed application is deployed to the second SDN architecture system.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, by a network analyzer implemented in circuitry, from a network device of a plurality of network devices, a sensor message for telemetry flow data. The sensor message indicates an interface index for a network interface, a virtual network identifier associated with a virtual network, and an IP address. The method further includes receiving, by the network analyzer, from the network device, a telemetry flow message for the telemetry flow data. The method further includes, in response to determining that the telemetry flow message includes an indication of an interface index that matches the interface index of the sensor message and that the telemetry flow message includes an indication of a virtual network identifier that matches the virtual network identifier of the sensor message, setting, by the network analyzer, the IP address as the source of the telemetry flow data.

Abstract: A method includes subscribing, by an agent, to telemetry flow data from each network device of a plurality of network devices and receiving, by the agent, a plurality of streams of telemetry flow data from the plurality of the network devices. Each of the plurality of streams corresponds to a different one of the plurality of network devices. The method further includes aggregating, by the agent, data from at least one stream of the plurality of streams of the telemetry flow data received over a period of time and, at the end of the period of time and/or when the data from the at least one stream exceeds a data threshold, sending, by the agent, the aggregated telemetry flow data to a network analyzer device.

Abstract: Techniques are described for learning an unknown virtual network information, such as an virtual Internet Protocol (IP) address, of a pod in a virtual network. In some examples, a virtual router executing at a computing device may receive an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packet from a virtual execution element in the virtual network, the virtual execution element executing at the computing device. The virtual router may determine, based at least in part on the ARP packet, whether virtual network information for the virtual execution element in a virtual network is known to the virtual router. The virtual router may, in response to determining that the virtual network information of the virtual execution element in the virtual network is not known to the virtual router, perform learning of the virtual network information for the virtual execution element.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for generating intent-based policies and applying the policies to traffic of a computer network. In one example, a policy controller for the computer network receives traffic statistics for traffic flows among a plurality of application workloads executed by a first set of computing devices. The policy controller correlates the traffic statistics into session records for the plurality of application workloads. The policy controller generates, based on the session records for the application workloads, application firewall policies for the application workloads. Each of the application firewall policies define whether traffic flows between application workloads are to be allowed or denied. The policy controller distributes the application firewall policies to a second set of one or more computing devices for application to traffic flows between instances of the application workloads.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for redirecting network traffic of virtualized application workload to a host-based firewall. For example, a system comprises a software defined networking (SDN) controller of a multi-tenant virtualized data center configured to: receive a security policy expressed as one or more tags to redirect traffic of a virtualized application workload to a host-based firewall (HBF) of the multi-tenant virtualized data center; configure network connectivity to the HBF in accordance with the security policy; a security controller that manages the HBF configured to: obtain the one or more tags from the SDN controller; receive one or more firewall policies expressed in terms of the one or more tags, wherein each of the one or more firewall policies specifies a function of the HBF; and configure the function of the HBF in accordance with the one or more firewall policies.

Abstract: In some examples, an access control policy controller in a computer network may receive a request to create an access control policy that permits a role to perform one or more functions in the computer network. The access control policy controller may determine one or more operations performed on one or more objects in the computer network to perform the one or more functions based at least in part on tracking performance of the one or more functions in the computer network. The access control policy controller may create the access control policy for the role that permits the role to perform the one or more operations on the one or more objects in the computer network.

Abstract: Techniques are described for learning an unknown virtual network information, such as an virtual Internet Protocol (IP) address, of a pod in a virtual network. In some examples, a virtual router executing at a computing device may receive an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packet from a virtual execution element in the virtual network, the virtual execution element executing at the computing device. The virtual router may determine, based at least in part on the ARP packet, whether virtual network information for the virtual execution element in a virtual network is known to the virtual router. The virtual router may, in response to determining that the virtual network information of the virtual execution element in the virtual network is not known to the virtual router, perform learning of the virtual network information for the virtual execution element.

Abstract: In an example, a method includes processing, by an application programming interface (API) server implemented by a configuration node of a network controller for a software-defined networking (SDN) architecture system, requests for operations on native resources of a container orchestration system; processing, by a custom API server implemented by the configuration node, requests for operations on custom resources for SDN architecture configuration, wherein each of the custom resources for SDN architecture configuration corresponds to a type of configuration object in the SDN architecture system; detecting, by a control node of the network controller, an event on an instance of a first custom resource of the custom resources; and by the control node, in response to detecting the event on the instance of the first custom resource, obtaining configuration data for the instance of the first custom resource and configuring a corresponding instance of a configuration object in the SDN architecture.

Abstract: A network controller for a software-defined networking (SDN) architecture system may receive a request to generate an access control policy for a role in a container orchestration system, where the request specifies a plurality of functions. The network controller may execute the plurality of functions and may log execution of the plurality of functions in an audit log. The network controller may parse the audit log to determine a plurality of resources of the container orchestration system accessed from executing the plurality of functions and, for each resource of the plurality of resources, a respective one or more types of operations performed on the respective resource. The network controller may create, based at least in part on the parsed audit log, the access control policy for the role that permits a role to perform, on each of the plurality of resources, the respective one or more types of operations.

Abstract: In an example, a method comprises obtaining, by a policy controller from a first SDN architecture system, flow metadata for packet flows exchanged among workloads of a distributed application deployed to the first SDN architecture system; identifying, using flow metadata for a packet flow of the packet flows, a source endpoint workload and a destination endpoint workload of the packet flow; generating a network policy rule to allow packet flows from the source endpoint workload to the destination endpoint workload of the packet flow; and adding the network policy rule to a configuration repository as configuration data for a second SDN architecture system to cause a deployment system to configure the second SDN architecture system with the network policy rule to allow packet flows from the source endpoint workload to the destination endpoint workload when the distributed application is deployed to the second SDN architecture system.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described for a creating a virtual network router within a software defined network (SDN) architecture. A network controller for the SDN architecture system may include processing circuitry that is configured to execute a configuration node and a control node. The configuration node may process a request by which to create a virtual network router (VNR), where the virtual network router may cause the network controller to interconnect a first virtual network (VN) and a second VN. The VNR may represent a logical abstraction of one or more policies that cause import and/or export of routing information between the first VN and the second VN. The control node configures the first VN and the second VN according to the one or more policies to enable the import and/or the export of routing information between the first VN and the second VN via the VNR.