WHAT TO EXPECT
A virtual network must be created before deploying a cloudSwXtch EC2 instance.
It must contain at least one subnet that's used for both the control and data plane communication, but it can use two, one subnet for each.
It is recommended that it be private-facing and not auto-assign public IPs.
This first subnet will be used for xNIC installation.
In this section, users will learn how to validate whether a subnet exists to be used as both the control and the data plane for their virtual network. This is in preparation for cloudSwXtch installation on AWS. We will also walk through an alternative configuration, using 2 subnets, separating the control and data plane.
Configuration #1: Single-subnet
Typically, when deploying a VPC, a user will automatically create a subnet. During the main installation process, this subnet can be used for both control and data plane communications. This is the preferred setup and will be used by a majority of users. Before installing cloudSwXtch, users should validate that the control subnet exists.
To validate:
Navigate to the VPC Console in AWS. In the example below, the user entered VPC in the search field to find it under Services.
Select "Subnets" under the Virtual Private Cloud tab or under Resources by Region in the VPC Dashboard.
Check that the subnet that will be used for the cloudSwXtch is listed and take note of the ID. In addition to the cloudSwXtch installation, this single subnet will be used during the xNIC installation.
Configuration #2: Two Subnets
Alternatively, a user may decide that they want to have two separate subnets for their cloudSwXtch: one for the control plane and another for data. In addition, the same subnets must be used for the xNIC installations. This configuration is recommended for individuals who want higher performance.
To accomplish this:
Navigate to the VPC Console in AWS.
Select Subnets under the Virtual Private Cloud tab or under Resources by Region in the VPC Dashboard.
Check that 2 subnets exist: one for the data and another for the control plane. Ensure that both subnets are in the same Availability Zone. This allows both NICs to be connected to the EC2 instance at the same time.
Naming your subnets
For ease of use, the recommendation is to name the subnets like ctrl-subnet and data-subnet to distinguish between them when creating an EC2 instance with cloudSwXtch installed.
If a second subnet does not exist, click the orange Create Subnet button in the top right corner of the page.
Fill in the Create Subnet form like the example shown below, ensuring that the subnet is in the same VPC ID and Availability Zone as the other subnet. In the example below, the user is creating their data subnet.
Click "Create Subnet." The new subnet should be on the list.