Protocol BGP and OSPF in phisical Layer

SUSE Virtualization
1

Hello

We have an opportunity here in Brazil where a public agency would like an explanation of the connection between SUSE Virtualization’s virtual layer and the physical layer with networks using OSPF and BGP protocols.

We know these are communication protocols and that the information is publicly available via a link, but the URL doesn’t explicitly explain it.

We request that you send only a summary of functionality validating the communication between these types of protocols.

Agency Information:

Must allow direct connection to the physical network or via BGP/OSPF routers (Tier-0).

Statement:

The response only mentions BGP via kube-ovnspeaker/GoBGP. OSPF is not mentioned anywhere in the response. The final table of the report (page 106) lists Kube-OVN as supporting only “BGP”.

Partial fulfillment: the requirement demands BGP/OSPF, and OSPF remains absent, an admission by omission.

This link already explains how it works, but to confirm the answer we would like to have the response:

2

Based on the official Harvester v1.7 documentation (Networking section), here is a clear answer regarding BGP and OSPF support:

BGP: Supported (via Kube-OVN / GoBGP)

Harvester v1.7 supports BGP through its Kube-OVN integration. The overlay network (available as of v1.6.0) uses Kube-OVN’s advanced SDN capabilities, which includes BGP routing via the GoBGP speaker. This allows Harvester to peer with external BGP/Tier-0 routers and advertise VM subnet prefixes to the physical network.

OSPF: Not natively supported

According to the official documentation, Harvester’s networking stack is primarily focused on Layer 2 (L2 bridging, VLANs, bonds). The deep-dive networking documentation states: “Harvester networking concentrates on Layer 2 of the OSI model.” OSPF (a Layer 3 dynamic routing protocol) is not mentioned anywhere in the official Harvester docs as a supported feature.

Summary for the agency’s requirement:

  • BGP (Tier-0 routing): Supported via Kube-OVN’s GoBGP speaker in the overlay network.
    • OSPF: Not supported natively in Harvester. The physical network layer (switches/routers) is expected to handle L3 routing. Harvester VMs connect to the physical network via L2 VLAN or untagged networks, and the upstream physical router/switch handles OSPF routing externally.
  • The requirement for “direct connection to the physical network or via BGP/OSPF (Tier-0) routers” is therefore partially met: BGP integration exists via Kube-OVN, but OSPF must be handled at the physical network layer outside of Harvester.

Reference: docs.harvesterhci.io/v1.7/networking/harvester-network (Overlay Network section)