215 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
215 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "My First Lab"
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date: 2025-02-14T12:00:00+02:00
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weight: 1
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cascade:
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type: docs
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---
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## Introduction 📚
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In this article, we’ll explore how to install our very first Containerlab netlab using **DevPod**. We'll focus on leveraging a cloud provider—specifically **AWS**—to host our project. Why **Cloud**? Because network labs can consume a huge amount of resources, and we need the ability to deploy, stop, and destroy them quickly for both performance and financial efficiency. 💡💰
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We'll achieve this using a combination of:
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- **DevPod**
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- **DevContainer**
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- **Containerlab**
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Additionally, we will use a small topology, which you can find on my [GitHub repository](https://github.com/darnodo/VXLAN-EVPN). Our main objective is to deploy this lab on AWS using DevPod. Let's dive in and get started! 🚀😊
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## Prerequisites 🔧
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Before we get started, there are a couple of important steps to complete:
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1. **AWS Environment Authorization**:
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Ensure that DevPod is authorized to access your AWS environment. For a detailed guide on configuring DevPod with AWS, please refer to my post on this [topic](/Notebook/documentation/devpod). 🔑
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2. **Containerlab Topology**:
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We need a topology file that Containerlab can understand. In our case, we're building a simple VXLAN topology. 🗺️
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## Containerlab Topology 🔄
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Our lab will simulate a VXLAN topology with:
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- **1 Spine switch**
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- **2 Leaf switches**
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- **2 Host nodes**
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The following diagram illustrates the VXLAN topology:
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Below is the Containerlab topology file (`lab_vxlan.yml`) used for this setup:
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```yaml
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name: vxlan-evpn-irb
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topology:
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nodes:
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spine1:
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kind: ceos
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image: ceos:4.32.0.1F
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mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.101
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leaf1:
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kind: ceos
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image: ceos:4.32.0.1F
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mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.11
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leaf2:
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kind: ceos
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image: ceos:4.32.0.1F
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mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.12
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host1:
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kind: linux
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image: alpine:latest
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binds:
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- hosts/h1_interfaces:/etc/network/interfaces
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mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.21
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host2:
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kind: linux
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image: alpine:latest
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binds:
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- hosts/h2_interfaces:/etc/network/interfaces
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mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.22
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links:
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- endpoints: ["spine1:eth1", "leaf1:eth1"]
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- endpoints: ["spine1:eth2", "leaf2:eth1"]
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- endpoints: ["leaf1:eth2", "host1:eth1"]
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- endpoints: ["leaf2:eth2", "host2:eth1"]
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```
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### Breaking Down the Topology 🧐
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1. **Name and Structure**:
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- `name: vxlan-evpn-irb` – This is the lab's name.
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- The topology is divided into **nodes** (devices) and **links** (connections between devices).
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2. **Nodes**:
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- **Spine Layer**:
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- `spine1`: A containerized Arista cEOS switch using image version `4.32.0.1F`.
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- **Management IP**: `172.20.20.101`
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- **Leaf Layer**:
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- `leaf1` and `leaf2`: Arista cEOS switches with the same image version.
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- **Management IPs**: `172.20.20.11` and `172.20.20.12`
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- **Host Layer**:
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- `host1` and `host2`: Linux containers running Alpine Linux.
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- They include custom network interface configurations mounted from the host.
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- **Management IPs**: `172.20.20.21` and `172.20.20.22`
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3. **Links**:
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- **Spine to Leaf**:
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- `spine1:eth1` ↔ `leaf1:eth1`
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- `spine1:eth2` ↔ `leaf2:eth1`
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- **Leaf to Host**:
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- `leaf1:eth2` ↔ `host1:eth1`
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- `leaf2:eth2` ↔ `host2:eth1`
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This topology represents a typical spine-leaf architecture, common in data center networks to enable both Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity with VXLAN EVPN configurations. 🔗💻
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## Deploy the Lab 🛠️
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We will deploy the lab using **DevPod** in two ways:
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### 1. Using the Repository 📥
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1. **Validate AWS Provider Configuration**:
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Ensure that your AWS provider is correctly configured. More details can be found [here](/Notebook/documentation/devpod). ✅
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2. **Create a Workspace**:
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- Navigate to the **Workspace** tab and click on **Create Workspace**.
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- Enter the **Workspace source**: use the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/darnodo/VXLAN-EVPN).
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- Select **AWS** as the provider.
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- Choose your default IDE.
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- Finally, click on **Create Workspace**.
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### 2. Using a Local Folder 🗂️
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If you prefer to use your local repository:
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- The only difference is in the **Workspace source**.
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- Simply point it to your local repository.
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## Starting the Lab 🎬
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> [!WARNING] cEOS Images
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> The lab uses **cEOS image v4.32.0.1F**.
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> To download this image, visit the [Arista download webpage](https://www.arista.com/en/support/software-download). ⚠️
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1. **Import the cEOS Image**:
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Save the cEOS image in your `network_images` folder by dragging and dropping it into VSCode.
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Import the image using the following command:
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```bash
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docker import network_images/cEOS64-lab-4.32.0.1F.tar.xz ceos:4.32.0.1F
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```
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2. **Deploy the Lab**:
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Deploy the lab using Containerlab:
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```bash
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sudo containerlab deploy -t lab_vxlan.yml
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```
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Follow the CLI prompts to configure your devices. For detailed configuration steps, refer to [this guide](https://github.com/darnodo/VXLAN-EVPN/tree/main/documentation/eos_configuration). 🔧🖥️
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3. **Visualize the Architecture**:
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Validate the deployed topology using Containerlab’s graph view:
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```bash
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containerlab graph -t lab_vxlan.yml
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```
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Ports (e.g., port 50080 as mentioned in the `devcontainer.json`) are forwarded. Access the graph view via [localhost](http://localhost:50080).
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## Using EdgeShark 🦈
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EdgeShark is a web UI tool that helps capture packets from your lab environment. It tunnels captures from the lab to Wireshark running locally. 📡🔍
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For more details, check out [EdgeShark’s Getting Started Guide](https://edgeshark.siemens.io/#/getting-started?id=optional-capture-plugin).
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### EdgeShark Setup in the DevContainer 🐳
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In the **DevContainer** configuration, the following `postCreateCommand` has been added:
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```bash
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sudo mkdir -p /opt/edgeshark && sudo curl -sL https://github.com/siemens/edgeshark/raw/main/deployments/wget/docker-compose.yaml -o /opt/edgeshark/docker-compose.yaml
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```
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This command downloads a Docker Compose file to facilitate the use of EdgeShark. 🚀
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### Running EdgeShark ⚡
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To start EdgeShark, execute:
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```bash
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cd /opt/edgeshark
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DOCKER_DEFAULT_PLATFORM= docker compose up -d
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```
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Access EdgeShark via [localhost:5001](http://localhost:5001).
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- **EdgeShark View**:
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- **Wireshark Integration**:
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Using the Wireshark icon in EdgeShark, you can launch Wireshark locally.
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## Conclusion 🎉
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In this article, we walked through the steps to deploy a VXLAN EVPN lab using Containerlab, DevPod, and AWS. We covered the following key points:
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- **Setting up prerequisites** for AWS and Containerlab. 🔑
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- **Creating a detailed topology** file for a spine-leaf network. 🗺️
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- **Deploying the lab** using both repository and local methods. 📥🗂️
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- **Starting the lab** with Docker and Containerlab. 🚀🐳
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- **Using EdgeShark** to capture packets and integrate with Wireshark for detailed analysis. 🦈🔍
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By following these steps, you can easily deploy and manage a scalable network lab environment in the cloud. Happy networking and enjoy your lab adventures! 😄🎊
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