Network Management

The Network Management in eEKAS provides a centralized and intuitive interface for configuring and monitoring all network interfaces and connections across the cluster. In a Ceph-based, high-availability environment, reliable and well-structured networking is a critical foundation for storage performance, cluster stability, and uninterrupted service availability.

This module allows administrators to define, modify, and troubleshoot network configurations without disrupting active workloads, ensuring consistent operation during both normal conditions and failure scenarios.

Network Architecture and Requirements

To guarantee stable operation, eEKAS requires a minimum of two logically separated networks, each serving a distinct and essential role within the cluster.

Cluster / Internal Communication Network: This network is used for node-to-node communication, cluster coordination, and heartbeat signaling. It enables rapid failure detection and automated failover actions. A dedicated, low-latency internal network is mandatory to ensure reliable high-availability behavior.

Ceph Storage Network: The Ceph network handles all storage-related traffic, including data replication, recovery, and rebalancing between nodes. Isolating this traffic prevents storage operations from impacting client access and ensures predictable performance, especially during rebuild or recovery events.

In addition to these mandatory networks, one or more client access networks are typically configured to serve protocols such as SMB, NFS, iSCSI, NVMe-oF, and S3.

IP Groups and Client Access

For block and file services, eEKAS uses IP Groups—logical collections of one or more IP addresses assigned to specific services. IP Groups can be moved transparently between nodes during maintenance operations or automatically during failover events, ensuring uninterrupted client connectivity.

Client-facing traffic is strictly separated from internal cluster communication and storage replication traffic, improving scalability, security, and operational stability.

Network Bandwidth Requirements

Network Bandwidth Guidelines: To ensure predictable performance and efficient Ceph replication, high-bandwidth and low-latency networking is required for all internal and storage-related networks.

• Minimum: 10 GbE per network – suitable for small clusters, test environments, or moderate workloads.
• Recommended: 25 GbE or 40 GbE – ideal for production workloads with consistent performance during rebuilds.
• Best Practice: 100 GbE or higher – optimal for large-scale or performance-critical deployments.

Network Bandwidth Comparison

Example VLAN Layout

• VLAN 10 – Management & Cluster Communication: Administration, monitoring, heartbeat
• VLAN 20 – Ceph Storage Network: Replication, recovery, rebalancing
• VLAN 30 – Client Access: SMB, NFS, iSCSI, NVMe-oF, S3

This separation minimizes contention, improves security, and ensures predictable performance under all operating conditions.