Welcome to Basebox documentation!

Basebox is the BISDN controller package for data center networks with the following combinable elements:

• The BISDN Linux Distribution is a Yocto-based operating system for selected whitebox switches
• baseboxd is a controller daemon integrating whitebox switches into Linux
• The CAWR controller (Capability AWare Routing) is an optional shim OpenFlow controller that creates a giant switch abstraction from a set of whitebox switches. It implements multi-path routing and multi-chassis link aggregation
• OpenStack integration of baseboxd can be done via a Neutron ML2 plugin

Basebox can either run directly on the switch or in a separate controller machine. The solution addresses issues of orchestration, flexibilization, high availability and further automation in various scenarios.

Please find the installation guide, API definitions and additional resources below.

Customer support

If at any point during installation or configuration of your Basebox setup you get stuck or have any questions, please contact our Customer support.

BISDN Linux:

• BISDN Linux
  • Introduction
  • Specifications
  • Compatibility
  • Additional resources
• Install BISDN Linux
  • Connect to the switch console
  • Install BISDN Linux via ONIE
    • Get the image via the CLI
    • Get the image via DHCP option 60
  • Additional resources
• Advanced configuration
  • Managing packages via OPKG
  • SFP module configuration
    • Enabling auto-negotiation
    • Disable auto-negotiation
  • Additional resources

baseboxd:

• baseboxd
  • Introduction
  • Architecture
    • netlink
    • OpenFlow
  • Features
  • Additional resources
• Setup a single Basebox switch or router
  • Getting started
  • Configure a local or remote controller
    • Local baseboxd controller
    • Local Ryu controller
    • Remote controller
  • Verify your configuration
  • See the installed software components
    • Local controller (BISDN Linux)
    • Remote controller
  • Verify the running services
    • Local controller (BISDN Linux)
    • Remote controller
  • Using baseboxd
  • Read the switch information via client tools
  • onlpdump
  • FRRouting
  • Persisting storage of network configuration
    • Using systemd-networkd
    • Using FRR and ZEBRA
  • Additional resources
• Quick start to configure L2 and L3 forwarding
  • Configure L2 switch (bridging)
    • Configure bridge on the controller host
    • Setup the hosts
  • Configure routing
  • Additional resources
• Configure advanced features
  • Configure source-MAC learning
  • Port mirroring
  • Additional resources

Basebox Fabric:

• Basebox Fabric
  • Introduction
  • Recommended setup
  • HA setup
  • Additional resources
• CAWR
  • Introduction
  • Architecture
  • Failover
  • Topology discovery (LACP and LLDP)
  • Port mapping
  • Additional resources
• ML2 Plugin
  • Introduction
  • Architecture
  • OpenStack interface
  • baseboxd interface
  • Additional resources
• Install BISDN Fabric
  • Prerequisites
  • Hardware installation
    • I. Install the management switch
    • II. SDN controller server installation
      • 1. Rack mounting
      • 2. Connecting to the management network
      • 3. Connecting the SDN controller servers together
      • 4. Connecting to the Basebox switches
      • 5. Power on
    • III. Install the Basebox switches
      • 1. Rack mount
      • 2. Connecting the Basebox switches together
      • 3. Connecting the Basebox switches to the SDN controllers
      • 4. Power on
    • IV. Connect the OpenStack compute node servers
  • Configuration
    • Configure the management network (for control traffic)
    • Configuring the controller servers
    • Configure using the API
    • Configuring the OpenStack ML2 integration
      • Install the mechanism driver
      • Configure Neutron
  • Additional resources
• Using BISDN Fabric
  • Accessing the system
  • Integration into Linux
    • systemd
  • Network Operations
    • etcd_connector
    • gRPC interface
  • Additional resources
• API Definition
  • Introduction
  • Configuration data structure
    • namespaces
    • portname
    • type
    • config
      • VLANs
      • IP addresses
    • Configuration triggers
  • Example actions
    • Add enabling_token
    • Remove enabling_token
    • List configuration
  • Additional resources
• Existing API clients - Neutron ML2 plugin
  • Neutron introduction
  • Modular Layer 2 (ML2) plugin
  • Basebox ML2 mechanism driver
    • create_port_postcommit
    • delete_port_postcommit
  • Additional resources
• Basebox GUI
  • Configuration
  • Accessing
  • Views
    • baseboxd View
    • CAWR View
  • Additional resources

Known issues:

• Known issues
  • Linux namespaces
  • Additional resources