Notebook/content/netlab/first_lab/_index.en.md

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title	date	weight	sidebar	cascade
My First Lab	2025-02-14T12:00:00+02:00	2	open true	type docs

Introduction 📚

In this article, we're going to explore how to set up our very first Containerlab netlab using DevPod.
We'll focus on using a cloud provider, in this case AWS, to host our project.
Why the Cloud? Because network labs can consume a huge amount of resources, and we need to be able to deploy, stop, and destroy them quickly, both for performance and cost efficiency. 💡💰

We'll achieve this by combining:

• DevPod
• DevContainer
• Containerlab

In addition, we'll use a simple topology that you can find on my GitHub repository. Our main goal is to deploy this lab on AWS with DevPod.
Let's get to it! 🚀😊

Prerequisites 🔧

Before starting, a few important steps need to be taken:

1. AWS Environment Authorization:
   Make sure DevPod is authorized to access your AWS environment. For a detailed guide on configuring DevPod with AWS, check out my article on this topic. 🔑

2. Containerlab Topology:
   We need a topology file that Containerlab can understand. In our case, we'll create a simple VXLAN topology. 🗺️

Containerlab Topology 🔄

Our lab will simulate a VXLAN topology consisting of:

• 1 Spine switch
• 2 Leaf switches
• 2 Host nodes

The following diagram illustrates the VXLAN topology:

Here's the Containerlab topology file (lab_vxlan.yml) used for this configuration:

name: vxlan-evpn-irb
topology: 
  nodes:
    spine1:
      kind: ceos
      image: ceos:4.32.0.1F
      mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.101
    leaf1:
      kind: ceos
      image: ceos:4.32.0.1F
      mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.11
    leaf2:
      kind: ceos
      image: ceos:4.32.0.1F
      mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.12
    host1:
      kind: linux
      image: alpine:latest
      binds:
        - hosts/h1_interfaces:/etc/network/interfaces
      mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.21
    host2:
      kind: linux
      image: alpine:latest
      binds:
        - hosts/h2_interfaces:/etc/network/interfaces
      mgmt-ipv4: 172.20.20.22
  links:
    - endpoints: ["spine1:eth1", "leaf1:eth1"]
    - endpoints: ["spine1:eth2", "leaf2:eth1"]
    - endpoints: ["leaf1:eth2", "host1:eth1"]
    - endpoints: ["leaf2:eth2", "host2:eth1"]

Breaking Down the Topology 🧐

1. Name and Structure:

   • name: vxlan-evpn-irb – This is the name of the lab.
   • The topology is split into nodes (devices) and links (connections between devices).

2. Nodes:

   • Spine Layer:
     • spine1: A containerized Arista cEOS switch using image version 4.32.0.1F.
     • Management IP: 172.20.20.101
   • Leaf Layer:
     • leaf1 and leaf2: Arista cEOS switches using the same image version.
     • Management IPs: 172.20.20.11 and 172.20.20.12
   • Host Layer:
     • host1 and host2: Linux containers running Alpine Linux.
     • They include custom network interface configurations mounted from the host.
     • Management IPs: 172.20.20.21 and 172.20.20.22

3. Links:

   • Spine to Leaf:
     • spine1:eth1 ↔ leaf1:eth1
     • spine1:eth2 ↔ leaf2:eth1
   • Leaf to Host:
     • leaf1:eth2 ↔ host1:eth1
     • leaf2:eth2 ↔ host2:eth1

This topology represents a typical spine-leaf architecture, common in datacenters to enable Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity with VXLAN EVPN configurations. 🔗💻

Deploying the Lab 🛠️

We'll deploy the lab with DevPod in two ways:

1. Using the Repository 📥

1. Validate the AWS Provider Configuration:
   Make sure your AWS provider is properly configured. More details here. ✅

2. Create a Workspace:

   • Go to the Workspace tab and click Create Workspace.
   • Specify the Workspace source: use the GitHub repository.
   • Select AWS as the provider.
   • Choose your default IDE.
   • Finally, click Create Workspace.

   

2. Using a Local Folder 🗂️

If you prefer to use your local repository:

• The only difference is in the Workspace source.

• Simply point it to your local repository.

  

Starting the Lab 🎬

[!WARNING] cEOS Images
The lab uses cEOS image v4.32.0.1F.
To download this image, head over to the Arista download page. ⚠️

1. Import the cEOS Image:
   Save the cEOS image into your network_images folder by dragging and dropping it into VSCode.
   Import the image using the following command:

   docker import network_images/cEOS64-lab-4.32.0.1F.tar.xz ceos:4.32.0.1F
   

2. Deploy the Lab:
   Deploy the lab using Containerlab:

   sudo containerlab deploy -t lab_vxlan.yml
   

   Follow the CLI instructions to configure your devices. For detailed configuration steps, check out this guide. 🔧🖥️

3. Visualize the Architecture:
   Check the deployed topology using Containerlab's graphical view:

   containerlab graph -t lab_vxlan.yml
   

   Ports (for example, port 50080 mentioned in devcontainer.json) are forwarded. Access the graphical view via localhost.

   

Using EdgeShark 🦈

EdgeShark is a web tool that lets you capture packets from your lab environment. It forwards lab captures to Wireshark running locally. 📡🔍

For more information, check out the EdgeShark getting started guide.

Configuring EdgeShark in the DevContainer 🐳

In the DevContainer configuration, the following postCreateCommand was added:

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

This command downloads a Docker Compose file to make it easier to use EdgeShark. 🚀

Launching EdgeShark ⚡

To start EdgeShark, run:

cd /opt/edgeshark
DOCKER_DEFAULT_PLATFORM= docker compose up -d

Access EdgeShark via localhost:5001.

• EdgeShark View:
  

• Integration with Wireshark:
  By clicking the Wireshark icon in EdgeShark, you can launch Wireshark locally.
  
  

Conclusion 🎉

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:

• Setting up the prerequisites for AWS and Containerlab. 🔑
• Creating a detailed topology file for a spine-leaf architecture. 🗺️
• Deploying the lab using both a GitHub repository and a local folder. 📥🗂️
• Starting the lab with Docker and Containerlab. 🚀🐳
• Using EdgeShark to capture packets and integrate Wireshark for in-depth analysis. 🦈🔍

By following these steps, you'll be able to easily deploy and manage a scalable network lab environment in the cloud. Happy networking, and enjoy your lab adventures! 😄🎊