Introduction
swXtch.io implements a software-based network switch called cloudSwXtch. cloudSwXtch consists of a software network switch and a virtual NIC service called xNIC. Optionally, users can connect their on-prem network to the cloudSwXtch and agents using a swXtchBridge. Together, these components create an overlay network on top of a standard cloud network. This overlay network adds many valuable network features, one of which is a seamless IP multicast experience. With cloudSwXtch, existing user applications and services that expect standards-based IP multicast will work on any cloud without requiring any code changes. This enables performance to approach that of bare metal.
Installing cloudSwXtch
WHAT TO EXPECT
In this section, users will learn about installing cloudSwXtch on AWS, Azure, GCP and OCI.
Before installing cloudSwXtch, please review the cloudSwXtch System Requirements page.
AWS cloudSwXtch Installation Guide
Azure cloudSwXtch Installation Guide
GCP cloudSwXtch Installation Guide
OCI cloudSwXtch Installation Guide
Cloud agnostic cloudSwXtch Installation Guide
Installing xNIC
WHAT TO EXPECT
In this section, users will learn about installing the xNIC for Windows, Linux, and Kubernetes. Users must install an xNIC on every VM that needs to send or receive cloudSwXtch multicast or broadcast traffic.
Before installing the xNIC, please review the xNIC System Requirements page.
xNIC Installation Guide for Windows
xNIC Installation Guide for Linux
xNIC Installation Guide for Kubernetes
wXcked Eye for Monitoring and Orchestration
wXcked Eye is a web-based monitoring and orchestration tool for cloudSwXtch. It presents users with a high-level view of their cloudSwXtch environment with an interactive network graph detailing connections to different endpoints. With an expansive look at performance metrics, users can ensure that their data is flowing as expected.
In addition, wXcked Eye unlocks the ability to configure Clusters, High Availability, and Protocol Fanout from the comfort of a web browser.
For more information, see the Using wXcked Eye page.
Tools and Testing
The following utilities can be used to verify both the functionality and performance of the network. See the Tools and Testing section for further information.
swx-cli: The tool is able to get information from the cloudSwXtch, swXtchBridge, xNIC agents, work with the configuration of clusters, HA, Adaptors…, etc.
swx-top: This utility shows detailed cloudSwXtch statistics in the console. For more information, click here.
swx-perf: This utility can be used to produce and consume traffic for testing. Users can find examples of the multicast by scrolling down to the Multicast Example section in the swx-perf page. For more information, click here.
swx-tcpdump: This utility helps capture multicast packets sent to and from the cloudSwXtch with logic to decode our own header and display the original multicast payload. For more information, click here.
swx-where: This utility allows users to call for hardware and cloud information regarding their cloudSwXtch component VM. For more information, click here.
Detailed usage information can be found for each by entering the —help command-line argument.