What is OpenStack Networking?

OpenStack Networking is a pluggable, scalable, and API-driven system to manage networks in an OpenStack-based cloud. Like other core OpenStack components, OpenStack Networking can be used by administrators and users to increase the value and maximize the utilization of existing data center resources.

Neutron, the project name for the OpenStack Networking service, complements other core OpenStack services such as Compute (Nova), Image (Glance), Identity (Keystone), Block (Cinder), Object (Swift), and Dashboard (Horizon) to provide a complete cloud solution.

OpenStack Networking exposes an application programmable interface (API) to users and passes requests to the configured network plugins for additional processing. Users are able to define network connectivity in the cloud, and cloud operators are allowed to leverage different networking technologies to enhance and power the cloud.

OpenStack Networking services can be split between multiple hosts to provide resiliency and redundancy, or they can be configured to operate on a single node. Like many other OpenStack services, Neutron requires access to a database for persistent storage of the network configuration. A simplified example of the architecture can be seen here:

In figure 1.1, the Neutron server connects to a database where the logical network configuration persists. The Neutron server can take API requests from users and services and communicate with agents via a message queue. In a typical environment, network agents will be scattered across controller and compute nodes and perform duties on their respective node.