=========
VIF Types
=========

In os-vif, a VIF type refers to a particular approach for configuring the
backend of a guest virtual network interface. There is a small, finite set of
ways that a VIF backend can be configured for any given hypervisor and a
limited amount of metadata is associated with each approach.

VIF objects
===========

Each distinct type of VIF configuration is represented by a versioned object in
os-vif, subclassed from `os_vif.objects.VIFBase`. The `VIFBase` class defines
some fields that are common to all types of VIF, and provides an association to
a versioned object describing the network the VIF is plugged into.

.. _vif-generic:

VIFGeneric
----------

This class provides a totally generic type of configuration, where the guest is
simply associated with an arbitrary TAP device (or equivalent).  The way the
TAP device is connected to the host network stack is explicitly left undefined
and entirely up to the plugin to decide.

.. _vif-bridge:

VIFBridge
---------

This class provides a configuration where the guest is connected directly to an
explicit host bridge device. This provides ethernet layer bridging, typically
to the LAN.

.. _vif-openvswitch:

VIFOpenVSwitch
--------------

This class provides a configuration where the guest is connected to an Open
vSwitch port.

.. _vif-direct:

VIFDirect
---------

This class provides a configuration where the guest is connected to a physical
network device. The connection to the device may operate in one of a number of
different modes, :term:`VEPA` (either :term:`802.1Qbg` or :term:`802.1Qbh`),
passthrough (exclusive assignment of the host NIC) or bridge (ethernet layer
bridging of traffic). The passthrough mode would be used when there is a
network device which needs to have a MAC address or VLAN configuration. For
passthrough of network devices without MAC/VLAN configuration, the
`VIFHostDevice` should be used instead.

.. _vif-vhostuser:

VIFVHostUser
------------

This class provides another totally generic type of configuration, where the
guest is exposing a UNIX socket for its control plane, allowing an external
userspace service to provide the backend data plane via a mapped memory region.
The process must implement the :term:`virtio-net` vhost protocol on this socket
in whatever means is most suitable.

.. _vif-hostdevice:

VIFHostDevice
-------------

This class provides a way to pass a physical device to the guest.  Either an
entire physical device, or an SR-IOV PCI device virtual function, are permitted.


VIF port profile objects
========================

Each VIF instance can optionally be associated with a port profile object. This
provides a set of metadata attributes that serve to identify the guest virtual
interface to the host. Different types of host connectivity will require
different port profile object metadata. Each port profile type is associated
with a versioned object, subclassing `VIFPortProfileBase`.

VIFPortProfileOpenVSwitch
-------------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a VIF with an Open
vSwitch host port.

VIFPortProfile8021Qbg
---------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a VIF with a VEPA host
device supporting the :term:`802.1Qbg` spec.

VIFPortProfile8021Qbh
---------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a VIF with a VEPA host
device supporting the :term:`802.1Qbh` spec.

VIFPortProfileFPOpenVSwitch
---------------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a fast path :term:`vhost-user`
VIF with an :term:`Open vSwitch` port.

VIFPortProfileOVSRepresentor
----------------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a VIF with a
:term:`VF` representor and :term:`Open vSwitch` port. If `representor_name` is
specified, it indicates a desire to rename the representor to the given name
on plugging.

VIFPortProfileFPBridge
----------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a fast path vhost-user
VIF with a :term:`Linux bridge` port.

VIFPortProfileFPTap
-------------------

This profile provides the metadata required to associate a fast path vhost-user
VIF with a Calico port.


VIF network objects
===================

Each VIF instance is associated with a set of objects which describe the
logical network that the guest will be plugged into. This information is again
represented by a set of versioned objects

TODO :-(
