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🎓 Guided Curriculum

Cloud-Native Networking Architecture Learning Path

Every major networking model in OpenShift Virtualization, in the order they build on each other. Follow one packet at a time, from the Linux kernel to hardware silicon.

6Articles

3Learning Stages

~117 minTotal Reading Time

50+Architecture Diagrams

📊 Series at a Glance

Articles	6
Architecture Diagrams	~50+
Packet Walks	6
Comparison Tables	20+
Estimated Reading Time	~2 hours

🎯 What You'll Learn

After completing this learning path, you'll understand:

How packets traverse Linux Bridge, OVN, Localnet, UDN/CUDN, SR-IOV, and MACVLAN/IPVLAN

When to choose each networking model for a given workload

How OpenShift Virtualization integrates with each architecture

Performance and operational trade-offs across the whole spectrum

Design patterns for enterprise, multi-tenant, and telco deployments

👥 Who Should Read This

Ideal for:

OpenShift Administrators Platform Engineers Cloud Architects Network Engineers Virtualization Engineers Kubernetes Practitioners

The Roadmap

Each stage builds directly on the one before it — click any node to jump ahead.

Linux Bridge

↓

OVN-Kubernetes

↓

Localnet

↓

UDN / CUDN

↓

SR-IOV

↓

MACVLAN / IPVLAN

Foundation

Where every packet's journey begins — pure Linux kernel networking.

Part 1🟢 Beginner–Intermediate

Tracking a Packet Through the KubeVirt Linux Bridge

⏱ 18 min 📊 Intermediate

How the Linux kernel itself becomes the switch — native Ethernet, MAC learning, and zero encapsulation.

OpenShiftKubeVirtLinux BridgeBridge CNIMultus

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Software-Defined Networking

OVN's logical topologies: overlays, physical bridging, and multi-tenant isolation.

Part 2🟡 Intermediate

Tracking a Packet Through OVN-Kubernetes

⏱ 20 min 📊 Intermediate

Distributed SDN routing, Geneve overlays, and the control plane that programs every node's OVS.

OpenShiftOVN-KubernetesOpen vSwitchGeneveKubeVirt

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Part 3🟡 Intermediate

Tracking a Packet Through an OVN Localnet Network

⏱ 19 min 📊 Intermediate

Bridging OVN's logical SDN directly into an existing enterprise VLAN — no Geneve, no compromise on policy.

OpenShiftOVN-KubernetesLocalnetOpen vSwitchMultusKubeVirt

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Part 4🔴 Advanced

Beyond the Default Network: Understanding UDN & CUDN in OVN-Kubernetes

⏱ 20 min 📊 Intermediate–Advanced

How one cluster hosts multiple fully isolated SDN topologies — isolation by architecture, not policy.

OpenShiftOVN-KubernetesUDNCUDNOpen vSwitch

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High-Performance Networking

When software isn't fast enough, or simply isn't necessary at all.

Part 5🔴 Advanced

Tracking a Packet Through an SR-IOV Network

⏱ 20 min 📊 Advanced

The packet that bypasses software entirely — hardware Virtual Functions, DMA, and near-native latency.

OpenShift VirtualizationKubeVirtSR-IOVSR-IOV Network OperatorMultusPCI Passthrough

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Part 6🟡 Intermediate

MACVLAN & IPVLAN

Tracking a Packet Through MACVLAN & IPVLAN

⏱ 20 min 📊 Intermediate

Native Ethernet without special hardware — the lightweight bridge between Linux Bridge and SR-IOV.

MACVLANIPVLANMultusKubeVirtLinux Kernel

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Where to Start

New to OpenShift Virtualization networking? Start with Linux Bridge and read in order — each article builds directly on the one before it. Already comfortable with the fundamentals? Jump straight to whichever stage matches what you're designing today.

Start with Part 1 — Linux Bridge→

Next Learning Path

Cloud-Native Storage Architecture

🔜 Coming Soon

Follow the journey of every read and write through OpenShift Data Foundation, Ceph, and KubeVirt storage — with the same architecture-first, component-by-component approach that defined this networking series.

OpenShift Data Foundation Ceph RBD CephFS Virtual Machine Storage CSI Volume Snapshots