WHAT TO EXPECT
In this article, users will learn how to install xNIC Daemonset for Kubernetes on any of the supported clouds (AKS, EKS, OCI, or GKE).
Overview
Unicast traffic will not be affected by this feature since it will work as always. The xNIC will only be used for Multicast traffic. The default interface xNIC will use is eth0. It can be installed via the cloud’s Cloud Shell or using a VM that will act as a manager to control the cluster. Either way, it is required to have connectivity to the cloudSwXtch and the Kubernetes cluster.
In this document, we will discuss how to do it via CloudShell. However, the commands below will work in either CloudShell or on the VM managing the K8s cluster.
BEFORE STARTING
If the cluster is not created already, please create it. This is a prerequisite before installing the xNIC.
The following example is based on Azure AKS, Cillium CNI, and using the Azure Cloud Shell. But a similar approach can be done using a different cloud, connecting with a direct shell, and using any supported CNI.
Running the xNIC Daemonset Install Script
To make installation easy, the Daemonset is installed from the cloudSwXtch instance via shell commands. The xNIC is matched to the attached cloudSwXtch and should be upgraded if the cloudSwXtch version changes.
This process takes less than a minute to install on an existing K8s cluster.
To run the install:
Sign in to the desired cloud provider.
Open cloudShell as Bash.
Paste in the following commands, replacing the <cloudSwXtch_ctrl_IP> with the cloudSwXtch’s Ctrl IP address.
kubectl run installer --image=busybox -- sh -c "wget http://<cloudSwXtch_ctrl_IP>/swx/services/install/xnic_ds_installer.sh; sleep 3650" kubectl cp default/installer:/xnic_ds_installer.sh xnic_ds_installer.sh kubectl delete po/installer --grace-period 1 chmod +x xnic_ds_installer.shRun one of the following scripts depending on the connectivity of the network used:
cloudSwXtch with Internet Access:
./xnic_ds_installer.shcloudSwXtch without Internet Access (Air-Gapped):
./xnic_ds_installer.sh -agAn example of a successful install without internet access is shown below:
$ ./xnic_ds_installer.sh -ag [i] Detected Cloud: AZURE [i] Cilium Installation detected [i] Setting CNI to CILIUM... ######################################################################################################## This script modifies the underlying configuration of Cilium CNI to make it compatible with Multicast Networks. It also installs xNIC DaemonSet on the existing cluster. ######################################################################################################## - RUNNING INSTALLER: Airgap - IMAGE: 10.144.0.115:443/xnicv2:airgap - CNI PLUGIN: CILIUM - SWXTCH IP ADDRESS: 10.144.0.115 - AGENT TYPE: XNIC XCD ======================================================= Adjusting BPF filter priority on Cilium ======================================================= Setting flag "bpf-filter-priority" to "50000" configmap/cilium-config patched Done! ======================================================= Restarting Cilium Agents ======================================================= daemonset.apps/cilium restarted daemonset.apps/cilium-node-init restarted Waiting for Cilium Agents to be fully UP and Running......OK Done! Proceeding with xNIC Installation ======================================================= Creating xNIC ConfigMap ======================================================= configmap/xnic-config created ======================================================= Installing xNIC ======================================================= daemonset.apps/swxtch-xnic created Done! ==================== Completed! ======================= Please allow a minute for the xNIC DaemonSet to fully spin up before starting to use it. Feel free to follow up on the xNIC Agents installation by running kubectl logs -n kube-system daemonsets/swxtch-xnic -f(Optional) Run the following command to view the xNIC DaemonSet logs in the Bash window:
kubectl logs -n kube-system daemonsets/swxtch-xnic -fWhen the log shows the final message, users can exit the log visualization.
Use the command below to follow the xNIC DaemonSet status in the Bash window and check if they have started (i.e, “Running”):
kubectl get pods -l app=swxtch-xnic -n kube-systemExample:
$ kubectl get pods -l app=swxtch-xnic -n kube-system NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE swxtch-xnic-fc58t 1/1 Running 0 11d swxtch-xnic-kn9hg 1/1 Running 0 11dSign in to the cloudSwXtch and enter the following command to see the new instances in swx-top.
swx-topPLEASE NOTE
The new agents will look like a standard xNIC agent in the Component list
An actual swx-top output with two nodes/pods:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Information - dev [ - ] ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ip-172-31-25-167 v4.1.0 (testLicense) Bandwidth 0 bps/unlimited │ │Cloud AWS xNICs 2/unlimited │ │Account Id 639720666639 Bridges 0/4 │ │Region us-east-1 License expiration 2025-Nov-30 │ │swXtch Id i-0bd964733da693cfb │ │Licensing License File │ │Status OK │ │NEW NOTIFICATIONS │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Components (3) ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║Filter Class X ║ ║--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------║ ║[+] Name Class Type Rx (bps) Rx (pps) Tx (bps) Tx (pps) Primary IP OS Version Primary Swxtches ║ ║ ip-172-31-25-167 swXtch X1 0 0 0 0 172.31.25.167 Ubuntu 24.04 v4.1.0 -- ║ ║ ip-192-168-93-187.ec2.internal xNIC 2 0 0 0 0 192.168.93.187 Ubuntu 24.04 v4.1.0 ip-172-31-25-167 ║ ║ ip-192-168-100-230.ec2.internal xNIC 2 0 0 0 0 192.168.100.230 Ubuntu 24.04 v4.1.0 ip-172-31-25-167 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Interfaces ip-172-31-25-167 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │[+] Name Index Ip SubnetPrefix Public Ip MTU Driver PciAddress │ │ dpdk-0 0 172.31.31.37 172.31.16.0/20 -- -- igb_uio 0000:00:06.0 │ │ ens5 2 172.31.25.167 172.31.16.0/20 -- 9001 ena 0000:00:05.0 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Views │ Notifications Components Streams Adaptors │ Colors Help