[Ovirt-devel] Network configuration wiki page created...

[Daniel P. Berrange]

On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 10:58:02AM -0400, Darryl Pierce wrote:
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> Darryl Pierce wrote:
> > http://www.ovirt.org/page/VM_Network_Configuration
> > 
> > Please take a few minutes to review this list and provide feedback. The
> > network configuration page is the only part missing now since the
> > backend support and processing code is out for review.
> 
> I've posted a screenshot for what the interface could look like. It
> captures all of the needed elements for configuring network interfaces
> and also bonded interfaces.

It feels like there's a bit of disconnect here between the concept
your trying to present & the way you're making users configure it.

eg, you're talking in terms of defining networks for virtual machines,
but making the user work in terms of individual interfaces. I particularly
don't like the duplicated forms for IP / DHCP config, and the way you
end up picking interfaces to go with your bonding device, or the fact 
that you're asking user's to name it.

An approach that maps more closely to the conceptual model would be
to have a single form, with three parts.

 - First define the IP address configuration.
 - Select one or more physical devices to associate
   with the network.
 - Optionally specify bonding mode
 - Optionally specify a VLAN number

If they pick only one physical device, then simply put that straight
into a bridge. 

If they pick two or more physical devices, then ask whether they want
'bandwidth aggregation' or 'failover' mode and automatically put the 
devices into a bond device. No need to tell them your creating bond 
devices - that's not what they care about - only care about whether 
the network being define is aggregating bandwidth or providing 
failover. Use of bonding is a mere implementation detail. Automatically
create the name for the bond device starting with bond0, and incrementing,
then put this bond in the bridge.

If they enter a VLAN, then instead of putting the bond device / physical
device in the bridge, then configure a VLAN device ontop of them, and
put the VLAN device in the bridge. Again you're not asking them for
naming of the VLAN device - just whether there's a VLAN number they
want to use

Note that whatever they choose for physical device, bonding, vlan
configure has no impact on the IP address configuration part - IP
details are logically associated with the network as a whole, only
being assigned to physical device behind the scenes. Or to put it 
anther way - there's no need to ask the user whether they want to
put the IP address on the bond device vs the physical device - that
choice is implicitly driven from the configuration they choose for
devices.

Daniel
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