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Oracle Solaris Administration: Network Interfaces and Network Virtualization     Oracle Solaris 11 Express 11/10
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Document Information

Preface

Part I Network Auto-Magic

1.  Introduction to NWAM

2.  NWAM Configuration and Administration (Overview)

3.  NWAM Profile Configuration (Tasks)

4.  NWAM Profile Administration (Tasks)

5.  About the NWAM Graphical User Interface

Part II Administering Single Interfaces

6.  Overview of the Networking Stack

7.  Datalink Configuration and Administration

8.  Configuring an IP Interface

9.  Configuring Wireless Interface Communications on Oracle Solaris

Part III Administering Interface Groups

10.  Administering Bridges

11.  Administering Link Aggregations

12.  Administering VLANs

13.  Introducing IPMP

14.  Administering IPMP

Part IV  Network Virtualization and Resource Management

15.  Introducing Network Virtualization and Resource Control (Overview)

16.  Planning for Network Virtualization and Resource Control

17.  Configuring Virtual Networks (Tasks)

18.  Using Link Protection in Virtualized Environments

19.  Managing Network Resources

Overview of Network Resource Management

Datalink Properties for Resource Control

Network Resource Management by Using Flows

Commands for Network Resource Management

Network Resource Management (Task Map)

Managing Resources on Datalinks

Transmit and Receive Rings

MAC Clients and Ring Allocation

Properties for Ring Allocation

Preparations for Configuring Hardware-Based Clients

How to Configure a Hardware-Based Client

How to Create a Software-Based Client

How to Identify Ring Assignments in Static Ring Allocation

Pools and CPUs

How to Configure a CPU Pool for a Datalink

How to Allocate CPUs to Links

Managing Resources on Flows

Configuring Flows on the Network

How to Configure a Flow

20.  Monitoring Network Traffic and Resource Usage

Glossary

Index

Overview of Network Resource Management

This section explains network resource management by introducing network lanes. It also describes how you implement network resource management by setting datalink properties. Flows are also defined as another way of further setting resource controls to process network traffic.

Datalink Properties for Resource Control

In previous Oracle Solaris releases, implementing quality of service is a complicated process. The process consists of defining queuing disciplines, classes, and filter rules and indicating the relationships among all of these components. For more information, see Part V, IP Quality of Service (IPQoS), in System Administration Guide: IP Services.

In this release, quality of service is obtained more easily and dynamically by managing network resources. Network resource management consists of setting datalink properties that pertain to network resources. By setting these properties, you determine how much of a given resource can be used for networking processes. For example, a link can be associated with a specific number of CPUs that are reserved exclusively for networking processes. Or, a link can be allotted a given bandwidth to process a specific type of network traffic. After a resource property is defined, the new setting takes effect immediately. This method makes managing resources flexible. You can set resource properties when you create the link. Alternatively, you can set these properties later, for example, after studying resource usage over time and determining how to better allocate the resource. The procedures for allocating resources apply to both the virtual network environment as well as the traditional physical network.

Network resource management is comparable to creating dedicated lanes for traffic. When you combine different resources to cater to specific types of network packets, those resources form a network lane for those packets. Resources can be assigned differently for each network lane. For example, you can allocate more resources to a lane where network traffic is heaviest. By configuring network lanes where resources are distributed according to actual need, you increase the system's efficiency to process packets. For more information about network lanes, see Overview of Network Traffic Flow.

Network resource management is helpful for the following tasks:

You can isolate, prioritize, track, and control data traffic on an individual system without the complex QoS rule definitions in previous releases.

Network Resource Management by Using Flows

A flow is a customized way of categorizing packets to further control how resources are used to process these packets. Network packets can be categorized according to an attribute. Packets that share an attribute constitute a flow and are labeled with a specific flow name. The flow can then be assigned specific resources.

The attributes that serve as the basis for creating flows are derived from the information in a packet's header. You can organize packet traffic into flows according to one of the following attributes:

A flow can be based on only one of the attributes in the list. For example, you can create a flow according to the port that is being used, such as port 21 for FTP, or according to IP addresses, such as packets from a specific source IP address. However, you cannot create a flow for packets from a specified IP address that are received on port number 21 (FTP). Likewise, you cannot create a flow for all traffic from IP address 192.168.1.10, and then create a flow for transport layer traffic on 192.168.1.10. Thus, you can configure multiple flows on a system, with each flow based on a different attribute.

Commands for Network Resource Management

The command for allocating network resources depends on whether you are directly working on datalinks or on flows.