Overview
Polystack Networking follows a distributed agent model. A central API and database tier manages resource state, while per-node agents program the virtual switching fabric in real time. Understanding this architecture helps administrators diagnose failures, plan capacity, and maintain the networking plane across the cluster.Architecture Diagram
Agent Components
Request Flow: Create Network and Create Instance
Data Plane: Virtual Switching
Each compute node runs an L2 agent that programs the local virtual switch to enforce:- Port bindings — connect instance virtual NICs to the correct network segment
- VLAN or VXLAN segmentation — isolate tenant traffic from other projects
- Security group rules — iptables/nftables rules enforced per port
- Anti-spoofing — MAC and IP address binding prevents address impersonation
The specific virtual switch backend (Linux bridge, Open vSwitch, or OVN) is configured
during cluster deployment via the deployment console. The choice of backend affects performance
characteristics and advanced features like DVR and hardware offload.
High Availability Considerations
Next Steps
Network Agent Management
Monitor agent health and manage agent lifecycle
Provider Networks
Configure physical network mappings and segmentation types
L3 Router Configuration
Enable HA and distributed routing for production deployments
DHCP Configuration
Manage DHCP agents and subnet assignments