Containerized Virtual Router for VPC BGP Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud data centers face challenges in providing seamless connectivity between customer workloads in virtual private clouds (VPCs) and on-prem infrastructure due to VPC gateways not being BGP-enabled, limiting their ability to process BGP traffic and route overlay traffic effectively.
Innovation Solution
A containerized router is deployed within the public cloud environment to provide routing control plane functionality, capable of learning BGP routes and programming VPC route tables in VPC gateways, enabling them to forward traffic to the containerized router for further routing, and redundant containerized routers are connected via VRRP sessions for high availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If VPC gateways are used to connect customer workloads to on-prem infrastructure, then network connectivity is provided, but BGP routing capability is limited because VPC gateways are not BGP-enabled
Solution Approach 1:
A containerized router is introduced as an intermediary component between the VPC gateway and customer workloads. This router runs BGP protocol to exchange routing information with on-prem infrastructure, while the VPC gateway handles basic connectivity. The intermediary router thus bridges the gap between VPC gateway limitations and BGP routing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The networking function is segmented into two parts: the VPC gateway handles basic network connectivity and traffic forwarding, while a separate containerized router handles BGP routing protocols. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in its strength, with the gateway providing reliable connectivity and the router providing BGP adaptability.
2Reliability
If traditional virtual machines are used for routing functions, then routing capability is provided, but resource efficiency is reduced compared to containerized solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The routing function is implemented using containerized processes rather than full virtual machines. Containers are lighter-weight, consume fewer computational resources, and can be rapidly created and destroyed. This allows multiple routing instances to run efficiently on the same physical infrastructure, improving resource utilization while maintaining routing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The containerized router is designed to be universally applicable across different cloud environments and orchestration platforms. It can perform multiple functions including BGP routing, route table management, and connectivity to various VPC gateway types, making it a versatile solution that replaces multiple specialized components.
3Reliability
If VPC gateways manually manage route tables, then routing control is possible, but operational complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The containerized router implements self-service capabilities by automatically generating, updating, and programming route tables based on BGP routing information. It autonomously manages route propagation to VPC gateways and adjusts routing configurations in response to network changes, eliminating the need for manual route table management and reducing operational time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the containerized router continuously monitors BGP routing information and automatically updates VPC gateway route tables in response to routing changes. This closed-loop approach ensures route tables remain synchronized with actual network topology without manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
An example computing device includes a containerized router and processing circuitry. The computing device includes a containerized virtual router configured to execute on the processing circuitry and configured to implement a data plane for the containerized router. The computing device includes a containerized routing protocol process configured to execute on the processing circuitry and configured to implement a control plane for the containerized router, wherein the containerized routing protocol process is configured to execute a routing protocol. The computing device includes a process configured to execute on the processing circuitry and configured to program a VPC route table in a virtual private cloud (VPC) gateway based on routing information received by the containerized routing protocol process via the routing protocol.