OpenStack

OpenStack is an open-source private cloud platform. It provides IaaS and allows a provider to run their own private cloud instead of relying on a public cloud. A service provider could use OpenStack as the NFVi in an NFV architecture.

OpenStack has a modular design in which each component is a separate service, and you can load services as you need them. Some common services are:

Nova - Computer service
Cinder - Block storage
Swift - Object storage
Neutron - Networking service
Horizon - Dashboard UI service
Glance - Image management
Heat - Orchestration

Interestingly Cisco uses OpenStack for VIRL and CML.

Cisco Modeling Labs uses OpenStack's clustering capability to allow you to run simulations across multiple servers, with a single point of control.

From: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/cloud_services/cisco_modeling_labs/v130/installation/guide/admin/b_cml_install_sys_admin_13/b_cml_install_sys_admin_13_chapter_0101.html

Lab

I find that I generally understand products best when I spend hands-on time with them. Spinning up an OpenStack instance is very simple. I installed DevStack onto an Ubuntu server in CML. I simply followed this guide: https://docs.openstack.org/devstack/latest/. The only thing I had to do was create the local.conf file. It takes about 20 minutes for the install to complete. While it was running I watched the DevNet session on youtube, which is linked at the end of this article.

Once DevStack is done installing, you can navigate to the webpage using http://[server ip]. Log in with username=admin and the password you set in the local.conf file.

You can easily launch VMs under Compute - Instances:

DevStack comes with the cirros image which is a very stripped-down version of Linux. You can use this to quickly create VMs and test reachability between them on a shared network. I found that navigating the GUI is quite natural and intuitive, even without reading the admin guide.

You can also try associating a floating IP with the VM. In my lab, I found that I cannot ping the floating IP from my ubuntu server, however the VM can ping out to the internet. OpenStack NATs the VM to the floating IP that I associated with it. I then created a new VM, only belonging to the private network, and to my surprise it can ping the internet and I can ping its NAT public IP. This is without a floating IP. I didn’t spend much more time to investigate any further. OpenStack seems quick to setup in a basic sense, but complex once you dive deep into it, which I believe is not necessary for the CCNP.