Edit

Share via

Network Packet Broker

  • Article

Azure Operator Nexus's Network Packet Broker is a specialized offering from Microsoft Azure tailored for telecommunication service providers. With Azure Operator Nexus's Network Packet Broker, telecom operators can efficiently capture, aggregate, filter, and monitor traffic across their infrastructure (AON), allowing for deep packet inspection, traffic analysis, and enhanced network monitoring. This is particularly crucial in the telecommunications industry, where maintaining high-quality service, ensuring security, and complying with regulatory requirements are paramount. By leveraging this solution, operators can achieve better visibility into their network traffic, troubleshoot issues more effectively, and ultimately deliver improved services to their customers while maintaining the highest standards of network security and performance.

The NPB has been designed and modeled as a separate top level Azure Resource Manager (ARM) resource under Microsoft.managednetworkfabric. Operators can Create, Read, Update and Delete Network TAP, Network TAP rule and Neighbor Group functions. Each network packet broker will have multiple resources such as Network TAP, Neighbor Group, & Network TAP Rules to manage, filter and forward designated traffic.

Steps to Enable Network Packet Broker

Prerequisites

  • NPB devices are correctly racked, stacked, and provisioned. For Procedure on how to provision the network fabric, see Network Fabric Provisioning.
  • Respective vProbes should be set up with dedicated IPs
  • For internal vProbes, Layer 3 Isolation domains with internal networks should be created. Required connected subnets should be configured, in addition to it, the extension flag should be set to NPB (in internal networks). For Procedure on how to create internal and external networks on an Isolation Domain and set extension flag for NPB, see Isolation Domains.
  • For the Network to Network Inter-connect (NNI) use case, NNI should be created as type NPB. Appropriate layer 2 and layer 3 properties should be defined during the creation of NNI. For Procedure on how to create the network to network interconnect (NNI), see Network Fabric Provisioning.

Steps

  1. Create a Network TAP rule providing the match configuration (only inline input method is supported)
  2. Create a Neighbor Group resource defining destinations.
  3. Create a Network TAP resource referencing the Tap rules and Neighbor Groups.
  4. Enable the Network TAP resource.

NPB

This resource would be auto-created by NNF during bootstrap.

Show NPB

This command shows the details of NPB logical resource.

 az networkfabric npb show --resource-group "example-rg" --resource-name "NPB1"

Expected Output

{
  "properties": {
    "networkFabricId": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkFabrics/example-networkFabric",
    "networkDeviceIds": [
      "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkDevices/example-networkDevice"
    ],
    "sourceInterfaceIds": [
      "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkDevices/example-networkDevice/networkInterfaces/example-networkInterface"
    ],
    "networkTapIds": [
      "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkTaps/example-networkTap"
    ],
    "neighborGroupIds": [
      "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup"
    ],
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
  },
  "tags": {
    "key2806": "key"
  },
  "location": "eastuseuap",
  "id": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkPacketBrokers/example-networkPacketBroker",
  "name": "example-networkPacketBroker",
  "type": "microsoft.managednetworkfabric/networkPacketBrokers",
  "systemData": {
    "createdBy": "email@address.com",
    "createdByType": "User",
    "createdAt": "2023-05-17T11:56:12.100Z",
    "lastModifiedBy": "email@address.com",
    "lastModifiedByType": "User",
    "lastModifiedAt": "2023-05-17T11:56:12.100Z"
  }
}

Network TAP Rules

NetworkTapRule resource provides ability for providing filtering and forwarding combinations of conditions and actions.

Parameters for Network TAP Rules

Parameter Description Example Required
resource-group Use an appropriate resource group name specifically for your NetworkTapRule ResourceGroupName True
resource-name Resource Name of the Network Tap InternetTAPrule1 True
location AzON Azure Region used during NFC Creation eastus True
configuration-type Input method to configure Network Tap Rule. Inline or File True
match-configurations List of match configurations.
match-configurations/matchconfigurationName Name of Match configuration block
match-configurations/sequenceNumber Sequence number of Match configuration
match-configurations/ipAddressType Ip address family
match-configurations/matchconditions List of dynamic match conditions based on port, protocol, Vlan & Ip conditions.
match-configurations/action Provide action details. Actions can be Drop, Count, Log,Goto,Redirect,Mirror
dynamic-match-configurations List of dynamic match configurations based Port, Vlan & IP

Note

Network Tap rules and Neighbor Groups must be created prior to refrencing them in Network Tap

Create Network Tap Rule

This command creates a Network Tap rule:

az networkfabric taprule create --resource-group "example-rg" --location "westus3"--resource-name "example-networktaprule"\
 --configuration-type "Inline" \
 --match-configurations "[{matchConfigurationName:config1,sequenceNumber:10,ipAddressType:IPv4,matchConditions:[{encapsulationType:None,portCondition:{portType:SourcePort,layer4Protocol:TCP,ports:[100],portGroupNames:['example-portGroup1']},protocolTypes:[TCP],vlanMatchCondition:{vlans:['10'],innerVlans:['11-20']},ipCondition:{type:SourceIP,prefixType:Prefix,ipPrefixValues:['10.10.10.10/20']}}],\
 actions:[{type:Drop,truncate:100,isTimestampEnabled:True,destinationId:'/subscriptions/xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup',matchConfigurationName:match1}]}]"\
 --dynamic-match-configurations"[{ipGroups:[{name:'example-ipGroup1',ipAddressType:IPv4,ipPrefixes:['10.10.10.10/30']}],vlanGroups:[{name:'exmaple-vlanGroup',vlans:['10']}],portGroups:[{name:'example-portGroup1',ports:['100-200']}]}]"

Expected output:

{
  "properties": {
    "networkTapId": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkTaps/example-taprule",
    "pollingIntervalInSeconds": 30,
    "lastSyncedTime": "2023-06-12T07:11:22.485Z",
    "configurationState": "Succeeded",
    "provisioningState": "Accepted",
    "administrativeState": "Enabled",
    "annotation": "annotation",
    "configurationType": "Inline",
    "tapRulesUrl": "",
    "matchConfigurations": [
      {
        "matchConfigurationName": "config1",
        "sequenceNumber": 10,
        "ipAddressType": "IPv4",
        "matchConditions": [
          {
            "encapsulationType": "None",
            "portCondition": {
              "portType": "SourcePort",
              "l4Protocol": "TCP",
              "ports": [
                "100"
              ],
              "portGroupNames": [
                "example-portGroup1"
              ]
            },
            "protocolTypes": [
              "TCP"
            ],
            "vlanMatchCondition": {
              "vlans": [
                "10"
              ],
              "innerVlans": [
                "11-20"
              ],
              "vlanGroupNames": [
                "exmaple-vlanGroup"
              ]
            },
            "ipCondition": {
              "type": "SourceIP",
              "prefixType": "Prefix",
              "ipPrefixValues": [
                "10.10.10.10/20"
              ],
              "ipGroupNames": [
                "example-ipGroup"
              ]
            }
          }
        ],
        "actions": [
          {
            "type": "Drop",
            "truncate": "100",
            "isTimestampEnabled": "True",
            "destinationId": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup",
            "matchConfigurationName": "match1"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "dynamicMatchConfigurations": [
      {
        "ipGroups": [
          {
            "name": "example-ipGroup1",
            "ipPrefixes": [
              "10.10.10.10/30"
            ]
          }
        ],
        "vlanGroups": [
          {
            "name": "exmaple-vlanGroup",
            "vlans": [
              "10",
              "100-200"
            ]
          }
        ],
        "portGroups": [
          {
            "name": "example-portGroup1",
            "ports": [
              "100-200"
            ]
          },
          {
            "name": "example-portGroup2",
            "ports": [
              "900",
              "1000-2000"
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "tags": {
    "keyID": "keyValue"
  },
  "location": "eastuseuap",
  "id": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkTapRules/example-tapRule",
  "name": "example-tapRule",
  "type": "microsoft.managednetworkfabric/networkTapRules",
  "systemData": {
    "createdBy": "email@address.com",
    "createdByType": "User",
    "createdAt": "2023-06-12T07:11:22.488Z",
    "lastModifiedBy": "user@mail.com",
    "lastModifiedByType": "User",
    "lastModifiedAt": "2023-06-12T07:11:22.488Z"
  }
}

Show Network Tap Rule

This command displays an IP community resource:

az networkfabric taprule show --resource-group "example-rg" --resource-name "example-networktaprule"

Expected output:

{
  "properties": {
    "networkTapId": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkTaps/example-taprule",
    "pollingIntervalInSeconds": 30,
    "lastSyncedTime": "2023-06-12T07:11:22.485Z",
    "configurationState": "Succeeded",
    "provisioningState": "Accepted",
    "administrativeState": "Enabled",
    "annotation": "annotation",
    "configurationType": "Inline",
    "tapRulesUrl": "",
    "matchConfigurations": [
      {
        "matchConfigurationName": "config1",
        "sequenceNumber": 10,
        "ipAddressType": "IPv4",
        "matchConditions": [
          {
            "encapsulationType": "None",
            "portCondition": {
              "portType": "SourcePort",
              "l4Protocol": "TCP",
              "ports": [
                "100"
              ],
              "portGroupNames": [
                "example-portGroup1"
              ]
            },
            "protocolTypes": [
              "TCP"
            ],
            "vlanMatchCondition": {
              "vlans": [
                "10"
              ],
              "innerVlans": [
                "11-20"
              ],
              "vlanGroupNames": [
                "exmaple-vlanGroup"
              ]
            },
            "ipCondition": {
              "type": "SourceIP",
              "prefixType": "Prefix",
              "ipPrefixValues": [
                "10.10.10.10/20"
              ],
              "ipGroupNames": [
                "example-ipGroup"
              ]
            }
          }
        ],
        "actions": [
          {
            "type": "Drop",
            "truncate": "100",
            "isTimestampEnabled": "True",
            "destinationId": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup",
            "matchConfigurationName": "match1"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "dynamicMatchConfigurations": [
      {
        "ipGroups": [
          {
            "name": "example-ipGroup1",
            "ipPrefixes": [
              "10.10.10.10/30"
            ]
          }
        ],
        "vlanGroups": [
          {
            "name": "exmaple-vlanGroup",
            "vlans": [
              "10",
              "100-200"
            ]
          }
        ],
        "portGroups": [
          {
            "name": "example-portGroup1",
            "ports": [
              "100-200"
            ]
          },
          {
            "name": "example-portGroup2",
            "ports": [
              "900",
              "1000-2000"
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "tags": {
    "keyID": "keyValue"
  },
  "location": "eastuseuap",
  "id": "/subscriptions/1234ABCD-0A1B-1234-5678-123456ABCDEF/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkTapRules/example-tapRule",
  "name": "example-tapRule",
  "type": "microsoft.managednetworkfabric/networkTapRules",
  "systemData": {
    "createdBy": "email@address.com",
    "createdByType": "User",
    "createdAt": "2023-06-12T07:11:22.488Z",
    "lastModifiedBy": "user@mail.com",
    "lastModifiedByType": "User",
    "lastModifiedAt": "2023-06-12T07:11:22.488Z"
  }
}

Neighbor group

Neighbor Group resource has the ability to group destinations for forwarding the filtered traffic

Parameters for Neighbor Group

Parameter Description Example Required
resource-group Use an appropriate resource group name specifically for your NeighborGroup ResourceGroupName True
resource-name Resource Name of the NeighborGroup example-Neighbor True
location AzON Azure Region used during NFC Creation eastus True
destination List of Ipv4 or Ipv6 destinations to forward traffic 10.10.10.10 True

Create Neighbor group

This command creates a Neighbor Group resource:

 az networkfabric neighborgroup create --resource-group "example-rg" --location "westus3"
--resource-name "example-neighborgroup" --destination "{ipv4Addresses:['10.10.10.10']}"

Expected output:

{
  "properties": {
    "networkTapIds": [
    ],
    "networkTapRuleIds": [
    ],
    "destination": {
      "ipv4Addresses": [
        "10.10.10.10",
      ]
    },
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
    "annotation": "annotation"
  },
  "tags": {
    "keyID": "KeyValue"
  },
  "location": "eastus",
  "id": "/subscriptions/subscriptionId/resourceGroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup",
  "name": "example-neighborGroup",
  "type": "microsoft.managednetworkfabric/neighborGroups",
  "systemData": {
    "createdBy": "user@mail.com",
    "createdByType": "User",
    "createdAt": "2023-05-23T05:49:59.193Z",
    "lastModifiedBy": "email@address.com",
    "lastModifiedByType": "User",
    "lastModifiedAt": "2023-05-23T05:49:59.194Z"
  }
}

Show Neighbor group resource

This command displays an IP extended community resource:

 az networkfabric neighborgroup show --resource-group "example-rg" --resource-name "example-neighborgroup"

Expected output:

{
  "properties": {
    "networkTapIds": [
    ],
    "networkTapRuleIds": [
    ],
    "destination": {
      "ipv4Addresses": [
        "10.10.10.10",
      ]
    },
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
    "annotation": "annotation"
  },
  "tags": {
    "keyID": "KeyValue"
  },
  "location": "eastus",
  "id": "/subscriptions/subscriptionId/resourceGroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup",
  "name": "example-neighborGroup",
  "type": "microsoft.managednetworkfabric/neighborGroups",
  "systemData": {
    "createdBy": "user@mail.com",
    "createdByType": "User",
    "createdAt": "2023-05-23T05:49:59.193Z",
    "lastModifiedBy": "email@address.com",
    "lastModifiedByType": "User",
    "lastModifiedAt": "2023-05-23T05:49:59.194Z"
  }
}

Network TAP

Network TAP allows Operators to define destinations and encapsulation mechanism to forward filtered traffic based on the Network TAP Rules

Parameters for Network TAP

Parameter Description Example Required
resource-group Use an appropriate resource group name specifically for your Network Tap ResourceGroupName True
resource-name Resource Name of the Network Tap NetworkTAP-Austin True
location AzON Azure Region used during NFC Creation eastus True
network-packet-broker-id ARMID of Network Packet Broker resource True
polling-type Polling method for Network Tap rules (Push or Pull) Pull True
destination Destination definitions True
destination/name name of destination
destination/type type of destination.IsolationDomain or NNI
destination/IsolationDomainProperties Details of Isolation domain. Encapsulation, Neighbor group IDs Azure Resource Manager (ARM) ID of internal network or NNI False
destinationTapRuleId ARMID of the Tap rule, which needs to be applied True

Create Network TAP

This command creates network Tap resource:

az networkfabric tap create --resource-group "example-rg" --location "westus3" \
--resource-name "example-networktap" \
--network-packet-broker-id "/subscriptions/xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/networkPacketBrokers/example-networkPacketBroker" \
--polling-type "Pull"\
--destinations "[{name:'example-destinationName',destinationType:IsolationDomain,destinationId:'/subscriptions/xxxxx/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/l3IsloationDomains/example-l3Domain/internalNetworks/example-internalNetwork',\
isolationDomainProperties:{encapsulation:None,neighborGroupIds:['/subscriptions/xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx/resourcegroups/example-rg/providers/Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric/neighborGroups/example-neighborGroup']},\