How to Build a Virtualized Nuage SDN Lab (Part 2 - Install VSC)

Introduction

Within this 3 part series on how to build a virtual Nuage SDN lab, we previously looked at the topology, the OpenStack installation and VSD deployment.

Next, we will now look at the steps involved in installing the VSC (Virtualized Services Controller).

Once installed our controller will talk XMPP to the management plane (VSD). Once the VRS's are installed (Part 3) the controller will talk to each virtual switch (VRS) via OpenFlow.

Figure 1 - Nuage VCS Overview

Overview

Let's look at an overview of the steps.

1. Deploy VMware OVF.
2. Configure VSC settings.
3. Verify Connectivity.

Note: Attempts to run the VSC VM on top of a VM (i.e nested) failed. It crashed and hung at the point of trying to load the kernel. As a result, I decided to just deploy the OVF.

Deploy OVF

First, deploy your VSC OVF from within your vCenter. Like so,

Figure 2 - VSC deployment via OVF

You will be asked a number of inputs around the configuration. Complete as per the below:

Configure VSC

Next, log into the VSC via SSH with the credentials of admin/admin.

The VSC configuration consists of:

• BOF (Boot Options File) - Contains the parameters in order to boot the device, i.e image, config location etc.
• Main Configuration - Contains all of the main configuration, such as BGP config, LAG settings etc.

Based on this perform a show bof and confirm you have the below:

A:vsc01>config>router# show bof
===============================================================================
BOF (Memory)
===============================================================================
    primary-image         cf1:\timos\cpm.tim
    primary-config        cf1:\config.cfg
    address               172.29.236.186/24 active
    primary-dns           172.29.236.139
    secondary-dns         8.8.8.8
    dns-domain            lab.local
    static-route          0.0.0.0/1 next-hop 172.29.236.1
    static-route          128.0.0.0/1 next-hop 172.29.236.1
    autonegotiate
    duplex                full
    speed                 100
    wait                  3
    persist               off
    no li-local-save
    no li-separate
    no fips-140-2
    console-speed         115200
===============================================================================

Next run an admin display-config and confirm the below is configured.

A:vsc01# admin display-config
# TiMOS-DC-C-5.3.1-11 cpm/i386 NUAGE VSC Copyright (c) 2000-2018 Nokia.
# All rights reserved. All use subject to applicable license agreements.
# Built on Fri May 11 00:54:00 PDT 2018 [b89f2a] by builder in /rel5.3-DC/release/panos/main

# Generated WED SEP 12 23:39:58 2018 UTC

exit all
configure
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "System Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    system
        name "vsc01"
        snmp
            shutdown
        exit
        time
            ntp
                server 8.8.4.4
                no shutdown
            exit
            sntp
                shutdown
            exit
            zone UTC
        exit
        thresholds
            rmon
            exit
        exit
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "System Security Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    system
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Log Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    log
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "System Security Cpm Hw Filters and PKI Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    system
        security
        exit
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "QoS Policy Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    qos
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Card Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Service Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    service
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "LAG Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    lag 98
        description "Multichassis interconnect LAG"
        encap-type dot1q
        qos
        exit
        lacp active administrative-key 36864
        no shutdown
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Management Router Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    router management
    exit

#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Router (Network Side) Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    router
        interface "control"
            shutdown
            description "in-band"
        exit
        interface "system"
            description "loopback"
            no shutdown
        exit
        vxlan
        exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Web Portal Protocol Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    exit

#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Service Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    service
        customer 1 create
            description "Default customer"
        exit
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Router (Service Side) Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    router
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "RADIUS Server Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    exit

#--------------------------------------------------
echo "System Time NTP Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    system
        time
            ntp
            exit
        exit
    exit
#--------------------------------------------------
echo "Virtual Switch Controller Configuration"
#--------------------------------------------------
    vswitch-controller
        xmpp-server "vsc01:password@vsd.lab.local"
        open-flow
        exit
        xmpp
        exit
        ovsdb
        exit
    exit

Verify VSD Connectivity

Finally, we verify connectivity to the VSD via the following command. Like so,

*A:vsc01# show vswitch-controller vsd detail

===============================================================================
VSD Server Table
===============================================================================
VSD User Name      : cna@vsd.lab.local/nuage
Uptime             : 0d 00:02:56
Status             : available
Nuage Msg Tx.      : 6                  Nuage Msg Rx.      : 6
Nuage Msg Ack. Rx. : 1                  Nuage Msg Error    : 5
Nuage Msg TimedOut : 0                  Nuage Msg MinRtt   : 40
Nuage Msg MaxRtt   : 40