Additional ports for node pools
You can configure additional ports for node pools to support advanced networking scenarios, such as SR-IOV or multiple networks.
Common reasons to configure additional ports for node pools include the following:
- SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization)
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Enables a physical network device to appear as multiple virtual functions (VFs). By attaching additional ports to node pools, workloads can use SR-IOV interfaces to achieve low-latency, high-performance networking.
- DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit)
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Provides fast packet processing in user space, bypassing the kernel. Node pools with additional ports can expose interfaces for workloads that use DPDK to improve network performance.
- Manila RWX volumes on NFS
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Supports
ReadWriteMany(RWX) volumes over NFS, allowing multiple nodes to access shared storage. Attaching additional ports to node pools enables workloads to reach the NFS network used by Manila. - Multus CNI
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Enables pods to connect to multiple network interfaces. Node pools with additional ports support use cases that require secondary network interfaces, including dual-stack connectivity and traffic separation.