An external network enables you to define IP ranges and a VLAN tag, to allow the virtual datacenters to connect directly to each other, or to other networks outside of the virtual infrastructure. For an external network, the administrator should configure the same VLAN tags on all switches in the Abiquo environment. Check that IP addresses for use outside Abiquo are reserved inside Abiquo. An unmanaged network is an external network with IPs managed outside of the Abiquo platform, for example, by a corporate DHCP server.

Some external network configuration examples:

External networks can be used:

• Adhoc - create and use in existing virtual datacenters, connected to VMs in virtual datacenters.
• Default for virtual datacenter - assign as the default network for a virtual datacenter when it is created (instead of the default private VLAN). When you deploy a new VM in the virtual datacenter with no network configuration, it will be automatically assigned a VNIC attached to the external network.
• Default for enterprise -assign as the default network for an enterprise for a specific datacenter. When you create a new virtual datacenter for the enterprise in this datacenter, the external network will be the default. But you can override this at virtual datacenter level.

The sections below provide GUI and API workflows to create external networks as the default for an enterprise and links to the User's Guide and Developer's Guide for the external network functions used.

The tasks in the workflows below may be performed by two different users. Typically, the first group of tasks would be performed by a cloud administrator user, and the second group of tasks could be performed by a cloud administrator or an enterprise administrator.

GUI Workflow for Creating Default External Networks

This section describes a basic GUI workflow for creating default external networks. This section is designed to give an introductory outline of the process.

Create a new enterprise, assigning it to a datacenter

When you set the default network for this enterprise, it will only apply to VMs that are created after the default network is set. If you are creating the enterprise in the API, remember that you must add an enterprise-datacenter limit for each datacenter your enterprise will access.

Allow the new enterprise to access the datacenter.

Create the external network in each physical datacenter

Go to Infrastructure View, open your datacenter and click the Network tab. Click on the External page and click the + Add button to add a new network.
It is important to check the VLAN tag availability in the datacenter where this tag will be used. If you share the VLAN tag across more than one network, the check indicator will be yellow. If it is reserved in Abiquo, the check indicator will be red.
Enter the network details and select the new enterprise that will use the external network, then click Save. Remember that this VLAN tag should not be available to the Rack for creating private networks.

Create IP addresses and click Accept.

Next click the Available IPs link and make unavailable any of the IP addresses that you wish to use for administrative purposes, for example, the gateway address. 

For each physical datacenter enabled for the enterprise configure a default external network

Edit the enterprise, then edit the Allowed datacenter, and go to the Default VLAN tab.

Create a virtual datacenter

The new virtual datacenter will get the default settings but these can be modified if required.

API Workflow for Creating Default External Networks

This section describes a basic API workflow for creating default external networks. This section is designed to give an introductory outline of the process.

Check VLAN tag availability

The first step in creating a new external network is to check the VLAN tag availability in the datacenter where it will be used.

Create the external network in each physical datacenter

Create a new enterprise, assigning it to specific datacenter

This example assumes that your enterprise was not created yet. It is also possible to use an existing enterprise, but when you set the default network for this enterprise, it will only apply to VMs that are created after the default network is set.

For each physical datacenter enabled for the enterprise configure a default external network

Create a virtual datacenter

The new virtual datacenter will get the default settings but these can be modified if required.

Create IP addresses on the external network

You can create a single IP address or multiple IP addresses.