Scaling Kubernetes networking with Cisco Isovalent eBPF technology?

All answers to this question.

The move to eBPF via Cilium (the core of Isovalent) is a game-changer because it bypasses the overhead of the Linux kernel’s network stack for pod-to-pod communication. In an ACI environment, you can use the integration to provide deep visibility into container traffic that was previously a "black box" to the network team. We implemented this in our production cluster in 2024 and saw a 20% reduction in CPU overhead on our worker nodes because we moved away from massive iptables rulesets. It also provides much more granular security policies at the L7 layer, which is crucial for modern Zero Trust architectures.

   Answered 2024-10-14 by Sarah Jenkins

Does the eBPF integration require a specific version of the Linux kernel on your worker nodes to function correctly with Cisco’s implementation? I've heard that older kernels can have compatibility issues with some of the more advanced Cilium features. Have you encountered any issues with kernel headers during your deployment?

   Answered 2024-10-16 by Daniel Wright

• Daniel, we did hit that snag. You definitely need kernel 5.10 or higher to leverage the full suite of eBPF features like high-performance load balancing and Hubble observability. We had to upgrade our base OS image before the Isovalent features would stabilize. It’s a prerequisite that often gets overlooked in the planning phase, so I’m glad you mentioned it for others looking to make this jump.

     Commented 2024-10-17 by Michael Scott

You should look into the "Hubble" UI that comes with Cilium. It provides an incredible real-time map of your microservices traffic that makes debugging network policies incredibly easy.

   Answered 2024-10-18 by Nancy Brown

• Nancy is right. Hubble transformed our troubleshooting process. Being able to visually see which flow is being dropped and why has saved us days of manual tcpdump analysis.

     Commented 2024-10-19 by Sarah Jenkins