Summary

Neutron is one of the more complicated OpenStack components to configure and maintain, and the list of features in this chapter is by no means comprehensive. The payoff of Neutron's complexity is that users are able to programmatically build elaborate and consistent network topologies. Neutron provides reference implementations using open source components for all of the features it supports, and its extensible framework allows third parties to build plugins and drivers that can interface with other virtual and physical network devices in order to bring additional features and functionality to the cloud. To successfully deploy Neutron and harness all it has to offer, it is important to have a strong understanding of core networking concepts. In this book, we will cover some fundamental network concepts of Neutron and build a foundation for deploying instances.

In the next chapter, we will use the RDO OpenStack distribution and its included installer to configure an all-in-one deployment that will enable us to explore virtual switching and routing concepts in further detail.