Introduction
Networks, in general, are the core of connectivity between computers/devices across the internet using IP addresses provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In ZEDEDA, the network is all about how the EVE-OS configuration manages to get the IP Address to the edge node. It could be through the DHCP network, static network, proxy configuration, etc.
- DHCP–The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a networking protocol where a server dynamically assigns an IP address and other parameters for network configuration to devices on a network to enable communication with other devices on the same or other IP networks.
- Static–A static IP address always remains the same. If a web server, FTP server, or any other internet resource must have an address that cannot change, you can get a static IP address from your ISP.
- Proxy–It’s an intermediary server separating end users from the websites they browse. Proxy servers provide varying functionality, security, and privacy depending on your use case, needs, or company policy.
Let's get familiar with the navigation of the Network screen before getting into the operational details.
List View
After you log in to the ZEDEDA platform:
- Step 1 > Click the 'Library' icon from the left navigation. You land on the Networks tab.
- Step 2 > Click the expand icon to view the summary panel.
The summary Panel shows the total number of Networks based on the 'Network Classification Distribution,' 'Network Proxy Distribution,' and 'Network Kind Distribution' widgets in the donut and horizontal bar charts. You can hover around these donuts to get the number in each distribution.
Detail View
- Step 1 > Click on one of the Networks in the list view to show the detailed view.
Note: The Networks list view shows (
) indicator on the default Network.
Operations using ZEDEDA GUI
The following are the Network operations:
Create
You can perform create operations in the Networks list view only. After you log in to the ZEDEDA platform, create a Network using the following steps:
- Step 1 > Click on the Add icon.
- Step 2 > Populate the input field values for the Identity section, as instructed in the table.
- Step 3 > You can click on the 'Default Enterprise Network' checkbox if you want this Network to default.
Note: You get a notification saying, 'You are about to override the existing default network <network name>' if a default network is already present.
Identity section
Define the basic identification details of the Network.
| Input Field | Value |
| Name(*) | This is unique across the enterprise and cannot be changed. |
| Title(*) | This is user-defined and can be changed. |
| Project(*) | This logical construct allows you to manage a group of edge nodes as one logical entity. You can create a new project to onboard an edge node. Click here to learn more about managing a project. |
| Description | A detailed explanation of what the Network is used for. Not mandatory. |
| Default Enterprise Network | To make the Network default, you can check this checkbox. |
| MTU (maximum transmission unit) |
The largest IP packet that the underlying link can carry, in bytes. Default value:
Minimum value:
|
- Step 4 > Populate the input field values for the 'Details' section, as instructed in the table.
- Step 5 > Select the network's kind by clicking 'Kind,' as instructed in the table.
- Step 6 > Select the type of DHCP service by clicking 'DHCP,' as instructed in the table.
Details section
Define the details of the Network.
| Input Field | Value |
| Kind(*) |
Select one of the Networks from the following dropdown list:
Once you choose the Network, the DHCP field appears
|
| DHCP(*) |
Select one of the Networks from the following dropdown list:
When you select 'Manual' from the dropdown, the DHCP fields appear as follows.
|
| Subnet | Enter the subnet. |
| Gateway | Enter the Gateway IP Address. |
| Domain | Enter the Domain name. |
| NTP Server | Enter the NTP Server IP Address. |
| DNS | Enter the DNS IP Address. |
| IP Address Range | Enter the range of the IP Addresses you might need. |
- Step 7 > You can click on the 'Add Wireless Config' checkbox to add either a Wi-Fi or Cellular configuration for the Network you are creating. Details are as instructed in the table.
Table for configuration using the 'Add Wireless Config' option when you choose 'Wifi.'
| Input Field | Value |
| SSID(*) | A sequence of characters that uniquely names a wireless local area network (WLAN). |
|
Key Management Scheme(*)
|
Allow for a separate authentication process to enable the distribution of keys. There are two main phases to this process:
|
| Username | Provide username. |
| Password(*) | Provide password. |
| Priority | Ranging from 0 to 7. The default value is 0, indicating no priority is set. A greater value indicates a higher priority. |
You can choose the 'LTE' option and the 'Send GPS Data' checkbox to send the GPS coordinates.
Table for configuration using the 'Wireless Config' option when you choose 'Cellular.'
| Input Field | Value |
| APN(*) | The phone's carrier uses a mobile phone set to connect to the gateway between the carrier's network and the internet. |
- Step 8 > You can click on the 'Add Proxy' checkbox to add a proxy for the Network you are creating.
- Step 8a > You can choose the 'Type' of the proxy from the dropdown list.
- Step 9 > Click on the 'Manual' option. Details are as instructed in the table.
Table for configuration using the 'Add Proxy' option when you choose 'Manual.'
| Input Field | Value |
|
HTTP and Port
|
Add HTTP hostname and non-zero port number. |
|
HTTPS and Port
|
Add HTTPS hostname and non-zero port number. |
| SOCKS and Port | Add SOCKS hostname and non-zero port number. |
| FTP and Port | Add FTP hostname and non-zero port number. |
| Proxy Exceptions | The list to access the URL, Host, or IP directly and not forward the proxy-configured request. |
You can choose the following 'Add Proxy' dropdown options as well:
- Auto Proxy Discovery–A web proxy server is identified by the system and used to send requests on behalf of the client.
- PAC File–Proxy Auto-Config (PAC) file is located automatically by the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) protocol.
- Transparent–In this option, the user can set up a network with a proxy by only putting in one or a collection of certificates.
- URL–The user provides the URL of the network proxy.
Table for configuration using the 'Add Proxy' option when you choose 'URL.'
| Input Field | Value |
| Network Proxy URL | This means entering the proxy server to read data or make changes to the settings. |
Proxy Certificates–This describes a certificate derived from, and signed by, a normal X. 509 Public Key End Entity Certificate or by another Proxy Certificate to provide restricted proxying and delegation within a PKI-based authentication system.
- Step 10 > Click on the 'Add' button.
- Step 11 > When you click on the 'Add' button, a toast message appears.
- Step 12 > You can see that the new Network is added in the Network list view.
Read
You can perform the read operation in the Network's detail view only. After you log in to the ZEDEDA platform, click on the 'Library' menu from the left navigation and select 'Networks' to go to the list of already available Networks. Click on any of the Networks in the list view to show a detailed view.
The read view shows the 'Basic Info' section.
Basic Info
a) Identity
For information on the field values and their descriptions, refer to the tables under the create operation.
b) Details
For information on the field values and descriptions, refer to the tables under the create operation.
Update (Edit)
You can only perform the update/edit operation in the Network's detail view. After you log in to the ZEDEDA platform, click on the 'Library' menu from the left navigation and select 'Networks' to go to the list of already available Networks. Click on any of the Networks in the list view to show a detailed view.
The update/edit view shows only the 'Basic Info' section.
Basic Info
Update/edit a Network using the following steps:
- Step 1 > Click on the Edit icon.
The 'Basic Info' section lets you update/edit most fields. Refer to the tables under the create operation for information on the editable field values and their descriptions.
- Step 2 > Update the editable fields of the 'Identity' section. Refer to the tables under the create operation for information on the editable field values and their descriptions.
- Step 3 > Update the editable fields of the 'Details' section. Refer to the tables under the create operation for information on the editable field values and their descriptions.
- Step 4 > Click on the 'Save' button.
- Step 5 > When you click on the 'Submit' button, a toast message announcing the successful submission of the Network appears below.
Delete
You can perform the delete operation in the Networks list and detail views. After you log in to the ZEDEDA platform, if you no longer require the Network, you can delete it using the following steps:
Note: You can perform the delete operation on a single Network or multiple Networks on either the list view or detail view screen. We will follow the multiple Networks workflow, which you can carry out from the list view.
- Step 1 > Click on the check boxes of the Networks list on which the required delete needs to be performed.
- Step 2 > Click on the More icon in the top right corner.
- Step 3 > From the dropdown, select 'Delete.'
- Step 4 > Click the 'Confirm' button on the modal dialogue.
- Step 5 > When you click the 'Confirm' button, a toast message announcing the Network's delete request's successful submission appears.
Operations using ZEDEDA CLI
Create
You can create a Network using the following command:
zcli> zcli network create <name> --project=<project> --kind=[Portv4|Portv6] --dhcp=[client|server|static|passthrough] [--wifi-config=<file-path> | --cellular-config=<APN>] [--static-dns=<hostname:ip>...] [--subnet=<subnet-id>] [--gateway=<gateway>] [--domain=<domain>] [--nameserver=<dns>...] [--dhcp-range=<range>] [--title=title] [--description=<description>] [--proxy-network=on|off | --proxy-pacfile=<pacfilepath> | --proxy-static=<filepath> | --proxy-url=<pacfileurl>] [--proxy-certificate=<proxy-certificate>...]
Read (Show)
You can use the following command to see the created Network details:
zcli> zcli network show [[[<name> | --uuid=<uuid>] [--detail]] | [[--project=<project>] [--name-pattern=<name-pattern>]]]
For example, the show command for a Network displays the following output:
zcli> zcli network show
Network Project Description Kind Type
----------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ---------------
defaultIPv4-net NETWORK_KIND_V4 NETWORK_WIRELESS_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED
static_network default-project NETWORK_KIND_V4 NETWORK_WIRELESS_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED
wifi_network default-project NETWORK_KIND_V4 NETWORK_WIRELESS_TYPE_WIFI
switchnet default-project NETWORK_KIND_V6 NETWORK_WIRELESS_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED
static1 default-project NETWORK_KIND_V4 NETWORK_WIRELESS_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED
defaultNetwork default-project NETWORK_KIND_V4 NETWORK_WIRELESS_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED
zcli>
Update (Edit)
You can update a Network using the following command:
zcli> zcli network update <name> [--title=title] [--description=<description>] [--wifi-config=<file-path> | --cellular-config=<APN>] [--disable-proxy=[true|false] | --proxy-network=[on|off] | --proxy-pacfile=<pacfilepath> | --proxy-static=<filepath> | --proxy-url=<pacfileurl>] [--proxy-certificate=<proxy-certificate>...]
Delete
You can delete a Network using the following command:
zcli> zcli network delete <name> [-f]
Note: -f is to forcefully make the delete request to the ZEDEDA platform without prompting the user.