Cilium extends the power of eBPF for Kubernetes networks
Smart Assistant
© Lead Image © Dan Barbalata, 123RF.com
eBPF offers a powerful remedy for the complexity of Kubernetes, but it can be difficult to configure and manage. Cilium provides easy access to eBPF's revolutionary capabilities.
In the early 2010s, Linux had already begun conquering data centers, and it was on the path to becoming the standard operating system for servers. At the same time, another data center trend emerged: Virtualization. To keep pace with the development of virtualized infrastructures, networks had to go virtual, too.
Software-defined networks (SDNs) were the first step toward network virtualization. The Open Networking Foundation was founded in 2011 to further disseminate and standardize SDNs. Open vSwitch found its way into the kernel in 2012, the same year that VMware bought SDN pioneer Nicira. The pace of development was fast – too fast for the Linux kernel. Network technology requires high performance, which for Linux means that it must be part of the kernel. Code changes to the kernel often take many months, and after a release, they are slow to reach the distributions as packages. This slow pace of change slowed the adoption of rapidly developing network technologies. At the same time, the first container solutions appeared, placing even more demands on the network. A new approach was needed.
eBPF Revolutionizes Linux
Alexei Starovoitov found a solution: He expanded the existing BPF kernel subsystem, which was quite simple at the time and had been developed in the 1990s as a simple packet filter Starovoitov extended BPF to include some foundational capabilities, launching eBPF [1] in the process.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
-
HashiCorp Cofounder Unveils Ghostty, a Linux Terminal App
Ghostty is a new Linux terminal app that's fast, feature-rich, and offers a platform-native GUI while remaining cross-platform.
-
Fedora Asahi Remix 41 Available for Apple Silicon
If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and you're hoping to install Fedora, you're in luck because the latest release supports the M1 and M2 chips.
-
Systemd Fixes Bug While Facing New Challenger in GNU Shepherd
The systemd developers have fixed a really nasty bug amid the release of the new GNU Shepherd init system.