Hub-and-spoke topology
1. Hub-and-spoke topology
Let’s start with a use case scenario. Nur, a network engineer at Cymbal Corporation, is tasked with managing the company's expanding network infrastructure, which encompasses a growing number of remote offices and cloud-based applications. To ensure centralized control and efficient data management, Nur wants a simple network topology that can be centrally managed with simple network administration. Nur decides to use a hub-and-spoke topology. The hub-and-spoke topology is shaped like a star, with the central hub at the center and all the other devices connected to it like spokes on a wheel. Instead of managing each device individually, Nur can configure and monitor everything from the hub, saving Nur time and effort. This topology is a common approach for managing network traffic in Google Cloud environments. One Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network (represented by the hub) acts as a transit point for the other VPC networks (represented by the spokes). Additionally, spoke devices can be diverse, including remote offices, cloud instances, and on-premises data centers. A hub-and-spoke topology features: A centralized point of control: Nur can easily configure, monitor, and troubleshoot the entire network from the central hub. This eliminates the need to log in to individual devices for management tasks. Simplified network administration. There is no need for complex routing configurations between individual devices. The hub automatically routes traffic between spokes based on predefined rules. Scalability: The hub-and-spoke topology can easily accommodate future network growth by adding more spokes. New devices can be quickly connected to the hub without impacting existing network configurations. Improved security: Centralized security policies can be enforced at the hub, enhancing overall network security. This simplifies security management and ensures consistent protection across all connected devices. A hub-and-spoke network topology is a versatile approach for managing network traffic, but there are different ways to implement it. Here are three common methods: VPC Network Peering allows direct connections between VPCs, enabling efficient communication with low latency. Cloud VPN creates a secure tunnel over the public internet to connect VPCs across regions or even to on-premises networks. While offering flexibility, Cloud VPN may introduce higher latency and require additional configuration compared to VPC peering. Network Connectivity Center (NCC) simplifies building and managing complex network topologies, including hub-and-spoke. It provides centralized configuration, automated provisioning, and integrated security features. However, Network Connectivity Center may come with additional costs compared to basic VPC peering or Cloud VPN setups. In this course, we will cover the NCC implementation. Network Connectivity Center simplifies network management by supporting two types of spokes. VPC spokes connect Virtual Private Clouds, while hybrid spokes connect on-premises networks, using HA VPN tunnels or Cloud Interconnect VLAN attachments with router appliance VMs. You can configure a router appliance instance by installing an image on a Compute Engine VM. You can use an image provided by a supported Network Connectivity Center partner. You can also use a custom image, such as an image that you created. You can then take advantage of logic specific to the router appliance instance to control connectivity between the spoke and the hub. Before you create the hub-and-spoke topology using Network Connectivity Center, here are additional considerations to keep in mind: Ensure that IP address spaces between the hub and spoke VPC networks don’t overlap. IPv6 addressing isn’t supported for hybrid spokes. Privately-used public IP addresses are supported by Network Connectivity Center. For more information, refer to the Considerations section of the Network Connectivity Center Overview in the Google Cloud documentation.2. Let's practice!
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