13.3. Optimizing networking

To tunnel traffic between nodes, use Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation (Geneve). You can tune the network by using network interface controller (NIC) offloads.

Geneve provides benefits over VLANs, such as an increase in networks from 4096 to over 16 million, and layer 2 connectivity across physical networks. This allows for all pods behind a service to communicate with each other, even if they are running on different systems.

Cloud, virtual, and bare-metal environments running OpenShift Container Platform can use a high percentage of the capabilities of a network interface card (NIC) with minimal tuning. Production clusters using OVN-Kubernetes with Geneve tunneling can handle high-throughput traffic effectively and scale up (for example, utilizing 100 Gbps NICs) and scale out (for example, adding more NICs) without requiring special configuration.

In some high-performance scenarios where maximum efficiency is critical, targeted performance tuning can help optimize CPU usage, reduce overhead, and ensure that you are making full use of the NIC’s capabilities.

For environments where maximum throughput and CPU efficiency are critical, you can further optimize performance with the following strategies: