Tunnel Configuration - VXLAN, BIRD, and Calico

This Ansible playbook sets up network tunnels and multi-cluster connectivity using VXLAN tunnels, BIRD BGP routing, and Calico integration.

Features

• VXLAN Tunnels: Virtual Extensible LAN tunnels for Layer 2 connectivity across networks
• BGP Routing: BIRD-based dynamic routing with support for ECMP and path isolation
• Multi-Cluster Kubernetes: Calico integration for cross-cluster pod and service connectivity
• Dynamic Interface Configuration: Support for any interface naming convention (eth0, ens3, etc.)
• Comprehensive Network Tuning: Extensive sysctl configuration for optimal performance
• ECMP Support: Equal-cost multipath routing for load balancing

Project Structure

The playbook consists of three main components:

1. VXLAN Role: Creates VXLAN tunnels between virtual machines
2. BIRD Role: Configures BGP routing for dynamic route propagation
3. Calico Role: Integrates Kubernetes clusters via BGP peering

Configuration

Inventory Configuration

Each host in a VXLAN tunnel group requires:

all:
  hosts:
    machine1:
      ansible_host: your-server-ip
      tunnel_type: src
      public_ip: your-public-ip
      physical_interfaces:
        - name: eth0
          ip: 192.168.1.10/24
    engine1:
      ansible_host: peer-server-ip
      tunnel_type: dest
      public_ip: peer-public-ip
      physical_interfaces:
        - name: ens3
          ip: 10.0.0.5/24
  children:
    vxlan_all:
      hosts:
        machine1:
        engine1:

Global Variables

In group_vars/all/tunnel.yaml:

# VXLAN configuration
vxlan_ip_range: 192.168.234
vxlan_cidr: 24

# ECMP and BGP settings
enable_ecmp: true
enable_path_isolation: true

Usage

1. Configure your inventory in inventory/your-environment/hosts.yml
2. Update global variables in group_vars/all/tunnel.yaml and group_vars/all/kube.yaml
3. Run the playbook:

# Deploy everything
ansible-playbook -i inventory/your-environment/hosts.yml site.yml

# Deploy only VXLAN tunnels
ansible-playbook -i inventory/your-environment/hosts.yml site.yml --tags vxlan

# Deploy only BIRD BGP
ansible-playbook -i inventory/your-environment/hosts.yml site.yml --tags bird

# Deploy only Calico configuration
ansible-playbook -i inventory/your-environment/hosts.yml site.yml --tags calico

Roles Overview

VXLAN Role

Creates VXLAN tunnels with comprehensive sysctl tuning for optimal performance. See roles/vxlan/README.md for details.

BIRD Role

Configures BGP routing with support for ECMP and path isolation. See roles/bird/README.md for details.

Calico Role

Integrates Kubernetes clusters via BGP peering. See roles/calico/README.md for details.

Troubleshooting

Check VXLAN Tunnel Status

# View tunnel configuration
ip tunnel show

# Check VXLAN interface
ip addr show vxlan-eth0

# Test connectivity
ping 192.168.234.2  # Replace with peer tunnel IP

Check BIRD BGP Status

# View BGP protocols
sudo birdc show protocols

# View BGP routes
sudo birdc show route

Check Calico Status

# Check BGP peers
calicoctl node status

# View routes
calicoctl get bgp routes

Logs

# VXLAN/netplan logs
journalctl -u networking

# BIRD logs
journalctl -u bird

# Calico logs (on Kubernetes nodes)
kubectl logs -n kube-system -l k8s-app=calico-node

Documentation

For detailed documentation on each role:

• VXLAN Role - VXLAN tunnel configuration
• BIRD Role - BGP routing configuration
• Calico Role - Kubernetes multi-cluster integration
• ECMP Role - ECMP routing support
• Workers ECMP Role - ECMP on Kubernetes workers
• Dynamic Route Role - Dynamic routing for clients
• Metrics Role - Tunnel monitoring