[RYU] Try the RYU Web GUI with Mininet

This post is about the displaying of RYU Web GUI. We can see what the GUI looks like. My environment is with 2 virtual machines running on Virtula-Box. I skep the installation guide with RYU and GUI because there is already some documents to tell how to do so. If interested, please check there:
http://blog.linton.tw/posts/2014/02/15/note-install-ryu-36-sdn-framework
http://blog.linton.tw/posts/2014/02/11/note-how-to-set-up-ryu-controller-with-gui-component

P.S: Maybe need to do this:
pip install --upgrade pip or pip install -U pip

First, I started with my RYU server and executed the command:

• > ryu-manager --verbose --observe-links ryu.topology.switches ryu.app.rest_topology ryu.app.ofctl_rest ryu.app.simple_switch

P.S: Currently the GUI doesn't support OF1.3.

Second, open another console to execute this command under your ryu directory. It is a middle-ware between Web and Controller.

• > ./ryu/gui/controller.py

For Mininet, I just downloaded the Mininet Virtual Machine and directed to use it. The following command can generate the 3 tiers network topology quickly.

>  sudo mn --controller=remote,ip=10.3.207.81 --topo tree,3

Back to the RYU server, open the browser with the URL: http://127.0.0.1:8000/   

[OF-DPA] Glance at the source code of OF-DPA on GitHub

I just quickly glance at the code of OF-DPA and draw a skeleton of it. Actually it is only about the integration Indigo with OF-DPA API ( blue color part ), and lock in with SDK and switch device. There is no OF-DPA/SDK source code ( red color part ). As the diagram described, the OEM/ODM Development Package has the full source code distributed under Broadcom SLA.

[Net-Tools] The collection of base networking utilities for Linux

Not only the collection of base networking utilities for Linux but also the great examples of network programming.
http://net-tools.sourceforge.net/

[Ruby] Cross-Compile Ruby to MIPS platform

I have spent several days to deal with cross-compiling Ruby to MIPS platform and have encountered some problems that bother me for a while. Hopefully I finish all the problems and get work done. Awesome!
For the sake of avoiding these kind of problems, I give the steps and scripts about how to do it:

• Cross Compile OpenSSL

>./config --prefix=$PWD/build --cross-compile-prefix=/home/liudanny/git/NL/toolchains_bin/mipscross/linux/bin/mips64-nlm-linux-elf32btsmip- shared no-asm

We need to check the Makefile with “PLATFORM=mips” and without “-m64”

>make 2>&1 | tee make.out; make install

• Cross Compile zlib

>CC=your_cross_compile_gcc ./configure --prefix=$PWD/build
>make 2>&1 | tee make.out; make install

• Cross Compile Berkeley DB

>CC=your_cross_compile_gcc ../dist/configure --prefix=$PWD/build
>make 2>&1 | tee make.out; make install

• Cross Compile OpenLDAP

>CC=your_cross_compile_gcc LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/home/liudanny/git/db-6.0.30.NC/build_unix/build/lib:/home/liudanny/git/openssl-1.0.1e/build/ssl/lib LDFLAGS=" -L/home/liudanny/git/db-6.0.30.NC/build_unix/build/lib -L/home/liudanny/git/openssl-1.0.1e/build/ssl/lib" CPPFLAGS=" -I/usr/local/include -I/home/liudanny/git/db-6.0.30.NC/build_unix/build/include -I/home/liudanny/git/openssl-1.0.1e/build/ssl/include" ./configure --prefix=$PWD/mybuild/ --enable-bdb --enable-crypt --host=mips64-nlm-linux --with-yielding_select=yes –with-tls=openssl

Before calling make, commenting out the line in include/portable.h ?
// #define NEED_MEMCMP_REPLACEMENT 1

Modify build/shtool to avoid from stripping error ?
Goto line 980 and find:

if [ “.$opt_s” = .yes ]; then
    if [ “.$opt_t” = .yes ]; then
    echo “strip $dsttmp” 1>&2
    fi
    strip $dsttmp || shtool_exit $?
    fi
 
    Change to the following ?
 
    if [ “.$opt_s” = .yes ]; then
    if [ “.$opt_t” = .yes ]; then
    echo “arm-none-linux-gnueabi-strip $dsttmp” 1>&2
    fi
    arm-none-linux-gnueabi-strip $dsttmp || shtool_exit $?
    fi

>make depend; make; make install

• Cross Compile Ruby 1.8.7

Before cross-compiling Ruby, it must compiles and builds on the server first, then cross-compiling will use its own Ruby to generate the Makefile and other important steps.
Due to Ruby can have many extension libraries, we need to modify Setup.emx to enable the ext libs that we need. And also, copy the needed ruby-ext-libs into ext/ directory In the picture, we add and enable “shadow”, “openssl”, “socket”, “zlib”, and “ldap” ext libs as follows:

>export ac_cv_func_getpgrp_void=yes
>export ac_cv_func_setpgrp_void=yes
>export PATH=/home/liudanny/ruby-1.8.7-p352/build/bin:$PATH
>CC=your_cross_compile_gcc ./configure --prefix=$PWD/build/ --host=mips64-nlm-linux --with-openssl-dir=/home/liudanny/git/openssl-1.0.1e/build --disable-ipv6 --with-openssl-dir=/home/liudanny/git/openssl-1.0.1e/build --with-zlib-dir=/home/liudanny/git/zlib-1.2.5/build --with-ldap-dir=/home/liudanny/git/openldap-2.4.39/mybuild 2>&1 | tee config.out
>make 2>&1 | tee make.out; make install

[Cross-Compile] What's the difference of `./configure` option `--build`, `--host` and `--target`?

When using ./configure especially in cross-compiling purpose, I kind of confuse about the option --build and --host so that the following content is what I found on searching:

some remarks on specifying --host=<host>, --target=<target> and --build=<build
# kindly provided by Keith Marshall:
# 1) build
# this is *always* the platform on which you are running the build
# process; since we are building on Linux, this is unequivocally going to
# specify `linux', with the canonical form being `i686-pc-linux-gnu'.
#
# 2) host
# this is a tricky one: it specifies the platform on which whatever we
# are building is going to be run; for the cross-compiler itself, that's
# also `i686-pc-linux-gnu', but when we get to the stage of building the
# runtime support libraries to go with that cross-compiler, they must
# contain code which will run on the `i686-pc-mingw32' host, so the `host'
# specification should change to this, for the `runtime' and `w32api'
# stages of the build.
#
# 3) target
# this is probably the one which causes the most confusion; it is only
# relevant when building a cross-compiler, and it specifies where the code
# which is built by that cross-compiler itself will ultimately run; it
# should not need to be specified at all, for the `runtime' or `w32api',
# since these are already targetted to `i686-pc-mingw32' by a correct
# `host' specification.

And I found an answer after posting this question.. Still posting it here in case it helps someone else in the future.
http://jingfenghanmax.blogspot.in/2010/09/configure-with-host-target-and-build.html

As per this blog in my case
build will be i686-pc-linux-gnu ( My PC)
host will be mipsel-linux ( The platform I am going to run my code on)
target will be used if I am building a cross-compiling toolchain.
Since I am not building a toolchain, I didnt have to specify target.

 You will have to cross-compile libusb and then copy the library and
header files to a location where your toolchain can locate them. In
the case of CodeSourcery, you can put them in
cs_root/arm-none-linux-gnueabi/lib and
cs_root/arm-none-linux-gnueabi/include for example. You will also need
the library on the target's root filesystem unless you link it
statically, please mind the licencing implications if you do though.

[NETCONF] The summary of NETCONF Content

The following content is about the summary of the NET-CONF web site: 

http://www.netconfcentral.org/netconf_docs

Session Initiation For Clients

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
          <hello xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
            <capabilities>
       <capability>urn:ietf:params:netconf:base:1.0</capability>
            </capabilities>
          </hello>]]>]]>

Protocol Capabilities

<capability>
    urn:ietf:params:netconf:capability:writable-running:1.0
</capability>

 <capability>urn:ietf:params:netconf:base:1.0</capability>

Standard Capabilities

:candidate

:confirmed-commit

:interleave

:notification

:partial-lock

:rollback-on-error

:startup

:url

:validate

:writable-running

:xpath

Configuration Databases

<running/>

<candidate/>

<startup/>

Protocol Operations

Once a NETCONF session is established, the client knows which capabilities the server supports. The client then can send RPC method requests and receive RPC replies from the server. The server's request queue is serialized, so requests will be processed in the order received.

Operation	Usage	Description
close-session	:base	Terminate this session
commit	:base AND :candidate	Commit the contents of the <candidate/> configuration database to the <running/> configuration database
copy-config	:base	Copy a configuration database
create-subscription	:notification	Create a NETCONF notification subscription
delete-config	:base	Delete a configuration database
discard-changes	:base AND :candidate	Clear all changes from the <candidate/> configuration database and make it match the <running/> configuration database
edit-config	:base	Modify a configuration database
get	:base	Retrieve data from the running configuration database and/or device statistics
get-config	:base	Retrieve data from the running configuration database
kill-session	:base	Terminate another session
lock	:base	Lock a configuration database so only my session can write
unlock	:base	Unlock a configuration database so any session can write
validate	:base AND :validate	Validate the entire contents of a configuration database

http://www.netconfcentral.org/slides/netconf/netconf_tutorial.html

NETCONF and Yang
https://www.ietf.org/proceedings/75/slides/opsarea-5.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/cmoberg/a-30minute-introduction-to-netconf-and-yang
http://packetpushers.net/using-netconf-yang-to-configure-network-devices-and-why-it-does-not-replace-snmp/
http://packetpushers.net/using-netconf-yang-to-configure-network-devices-and-why-it-does-not-replace-snmp/

[OpenStack] The resource list for studying OpenStack Neutron

The following list is about the resource documents for those who want to study OpenStack Neutron. It may reduce the time you spend on searching. Here you go:

Introduction to OpenStack Quantum

• To warm up for jumping into the network world of OpenStack

OpenStack Admin Guide Chapter 7. Networking

• It is very important to take a look at this offical document first

Neurton Wiki

Architecture of Quantum Grizzly Release

• This contains the Quantum architecture in details

A Cisco Plugin Framework for Quantum L2 Network Overlays Spanning Multiple Physical Switches

• Cicso's Plugins are a little bit complicated because There are several versions those are different in the configuration and prerequisite.

Cisco Nexus Plug-in for OpenStack Neutron 

• Give a data sheet to list the functionality and feature it supports

What's new Neutron?

• Give a overall look of Neutron
• Another doc: http://www.slideshare.net/kamesh001/whats-new-in-neutron-for-open-stack-havana
• What components are in Neutron: http://www.slideshare.net/emaganap/open-stack-overview-meetups-oct-2013

Deep Dive into Neutron (Important)

• It is very technical to explain the the detail of code and message.

Open vSwitch in Neutron (Important)

• we can see how Open vSwitch is implemented in Neutron 

OpenStack Overview

• It introduces VM booting workflow with Nova and Networking
• Neurton deployment components

OPENSTACK QUANTUM (NEUTRON) PLUG-IN: THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE

• To explain why ML2 will come out

Modular Layer 2 in OpenStack Neutron

• New Feature: ToR Switch Control
• The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whmcQ-vHams

ML2

• Modular Layer 2 (ML2) The Modular Layer 2 (ML2) plugin is a new OpenSource plugin to Neutron. This plugin is a framework allowing OpenStack Networking to simultaneously utilize the variety of layer 2 networking technologies found in complex real-world data centers. It currently works with the existing Open vSwitch, Linux Bridge, and L2 agents. The ML2 plugin supports local, flat, VLAN, GRE and VXLAN network types via a type drivers and different mechanism drivers.

OVSDB User Guide

• OpenDaylight has OVSDB project that is related with ML2 plugin

Cisco OpenStack Overview

• Introduce Cisco Neutron Plugin
• Cisco Virtual Switch: Nexus 1000v
• Cisco UCSM

OpenStack Networking API v2.0 Reference

OpenStack RDO Deployment 

1. http://blog.csdn.net/cloudtech/article/details/19936249
2. http://blog.csdn.net/cloudtech/article/details/19936425
3. http://blog.csdn.net/cloudtech/article/details/19936487

OverStack over VXLAN

• https://wiki.openstack.org/wiki/Arista-neutron-ml2-driver
• Arista Related Information about Mechanism Driver
• https://blueprints.launchpad.net/neutron/+spec/arista-ml2-mechanism-driver
• http://www.bradreese.com/blog/4-1-2013-2.pdf
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1efFprzY69h-vaikRE8hoGQuLzOzVNtyVZZLa2GHbXLI/edit

Developer Guide

How to write a Neutron Plugin

Neutron/LBaaS/PluginDrivers

http://www.slideshare.net/MiguelLavalle/network-virtualization-with-open-stack-quantum

[Thoughts] Cumulus Networks and Big Switch Networks

These two companies, Cumulus Networks and Big Switch Networks, are two of  my most favorite network companies in the world because they have a strong technical skill and creative ability/thought to build their networking products. Unfortunately, they walk in two different paths and directions. Big Switch Networks is based on OpenFlow but Cumulus Networks is not. For more information in details, please see below:

http://www.jedelman.com/1/post/2014/02/big-switch-cumulus-and-openflow.html
http://vimeo.com/87216036