Oracle Solaris supports several networking features that you can use for different purposes. The following are some of the key features that are supported in this release. This list is not exhaustive:
Aggregation – Is an L2 entity that is used to ensure that a system has continuous access to the network. Link aggregations increase the availability and reliability of network connectivity by enabling you to pool multiple datalink resources that you administer as a single unit. See Chapter 2, Configuring High Availability by Using Link Aggregations, in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
The following types of aggregations are supported:
Datalink Multipathing (DLMP) – Is a type of link aggregation that supports multiple switches and provides continuous connectivity to its datalinks. When a switch fails, the aggregation continues to provide connectivity to its datalinks by using the other switches. This type of link aggregation does not require switch configuration. Using DLMP aggregation can help overcome some of the disadvantages of using trunk aggregation. See Datalink Multipathing Aggregations in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Trunk aggregation – Is a link aggregation mode that is based on the IEEE 802.3ad standard and works by enabling multiple flows of traffic to be spread across a set of aggregated ports. IEEE 802.3ad requires switch configuration and switch-vendor proprietary extensions in order to work across multiple switches. See Trunk Aggregations in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Bridging – Is an L2 technology that connects multiple datalinks on a network into a single network. For bridging, Oracle Solaris supports the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and TRansparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocols. See Chapter 4, Administering Bridging Features, in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Edge Virtual Bridging (EVB) – Is an L2 technology that enables hosts to exchange virtual link information with an external switch. EVB offloads the enforcement of traffic service level agreements (SLAs) to the switch. See Chapter 4, Administering Server-Network Edge Virtualization by Using Edge Virtual Bridging, in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Data Center Bridging (DCB) – Is an L2 technology that is used to manage the bandwidth, relative priority, and flow control of multiple traffic types that share the same network link, for example, when sharing a datalink between networking and storage protocols. See Chapter 6, Managing Converged Networks by Using Data Center Bridging, in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Elastic Virtual Switch (EVS) – Is an L2 technology that expands network virtualization capabilities by enabling you to manage virtual switches across multiple hosts. With the Oracle Solaris EVS feature, you can deploy virtual networks that span multiple hosts within either a multi-tenant cloud environment or datacenter. See Chapter 6, Administering Elastic Virtual Switches, in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Etherstub – Is a pseudo Ethernet NIC that is configured at the datalink layer (L2) of the Oracle Solaris network protocol stack. You can create virtual interface cards (VNICs) over etherstubs instead of physical links for the purpose of constructing a private virtual network that is isolated from other virtual networks on the system, as well as from the external network. See How to Configure VNICs and Etherstubs in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Flows – Are a subset of packets that are identified by common attributes. These attributes consist of packet header information such as IP addresses, protocol type, and transport port numbers. You can observe flows individually, as well as assign flows their own SLAs, for example, bandwidth control and priority. You administer flows at the L2, L3, and L4 layers of the Oracle Solaris network protocol stack. For more information, see Features for Managing Network Resources in Oracle Solaris.
Integrated Load Balancer (ILB) – Is an L3 and L4 technology that enables a system to spread the load of network processing amongst available resources. ILB can be used to improve reliability and scalability, and to minimize the response time of network services. Load balancing involves using multiple systems to deal with high demands of a network by balancing the load between multiple systems. Support for ILB in Oracle Solaris includes stateless Direct Server Return (DSR) and Network Address Translation (NAT) modes of operation for IPv4 and IPv6, as well as server monitoring capabilities through health checks. See Features of ILB in Configuring an Oracle Solaris 11.2 System as a Router or a Load Balancer .
IP network multipathing (IPMP) – Is an L3 technology that ensures that a system has continuous access to the network. With IPMP, you configure multiple IP interfaces into an IPMP group. The IPMP group functions like an IP interface with data addresses for sending or receiving network traffic. If an underlying interface in the group fails, the data addresses are redistributed amongst the remaining underlying active interfaces in the group.
The IPMP model and administrative interface has undergone some changes in Oracle Solaris 11. To familiarize yourself with the new model, see What’s New in IPMP in Administering TCP/IP Networks, IPMP, and IP Tunnels in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Link aggregations work similarly to IPMP for improving network performance and availability, but at the datalink layer (L2). Aggregations are recommended when combining features for high availability in a virtualized environment. For a comparative analysis, see Appendix A, Link Aggregations and IPMP: Feature Comparison, in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
IP tunnel – Is an L3 technology that provides a means for transporting data packets between domains when the protocol in those domains is not supported by intermediary networks. See Chapter 4, About IP Tunnel Administration, in Administering TCP/IP Networks, IPMP, and IP Tunnels in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) – Is an L2 technology that is used by systems in a local area network (LAN) to exchange configuration and management information with each other. LLDP enables a system to advertise connectivity and management information to other systems on the network. See Chapter 5, Exchanging Network Connectivity Information With Link Layer Discovery Protocol, in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Virtual local area network (VLAN) – Is an L2 technology that enables you to divide a LAN into subnetworks without having to add a physical network environment. A VLAN is a subdivision of a LAN at the datalink layer of the network protocol stack. For more information, see Chapter 3, Configuring Virtual Networks by Using Virtual Local Area Networks, in Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Virtual eXtensible area network (VXLAN) – Is an L2 and L3 technology that works by overlaying a datalink (L2) network on top of an IP (L3) network. VXLANs address the 4K limitation that is imposed when using VLANs. Typically, VXLANs are used in a cloud infrastructure to isolate multiple virtual networks. You can manage VXLANs by using the EVS feature. For more information, see Chapter 3, Configuring Virtual Networks by Using Virtual Extensible Local Area Networks, in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Virtual network interface card (VNIC) – Is an L2 entity or virtual network device that behaves just like a physical NIC when configured. You configure a VNIC over an underlying datalink to share it between multiple Oracle Solaris zones or VMs. See Configuring the Components of a Virtual Network in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
In this release, you can also manage network devices that support single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV). For more details, see Using Single Root I/O Virtualization With VNICs in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) – Is an L3 technology that provides high availability of IP addresses, such as those that are used for routers and load balancers. Oracle Solaris supports both L2 and L3 VRRP. L3 VRRP removes the need to configure unique VRRP virtual MAC addresses for VRRP routers, thereby providing better support for VRRP over IPMP, InfiniBand interfaces, and zones. For more information, see Chapter 3, Using Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol, in Configuring an Oracle Solaris 11.2 System as a Router or a Load Balancer .
Virtual switch – Is an L2 technology that simulates the capabilities of a physical network switch. A virtual switch is implicitly created whenever you create a VNIC on top of an underlying datalink. Virtual switches provide a method for virtual machines and zones to transfer packets. You can manage virtual switches by using the EVS feature. For more information, see Components of a Virtual Network in Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.2 .