IP Address Management

IP Address Management (IPAM) is a method of planning, tracking, and managing the IP address space used in a network. The maxClusters parameter of the slice configuration helps with IPAM.

This parameter sets the maximum number of worker clusters that you can connect to a slice. The maximum number of worker clusters affects the subnet calculation of a worker cluster. The subnet in turn determines the number of host addresses a worker cluster gets for its application pods.

For example, if the slice subnet is 10.1.0.0/16 and the maximum number of clusters is 16, then each cluster gets a subnet of 10.1.x.0/20, where x = 0, 16, or 32.

This is a significant parameter that can only be configured during slice creation. If this parameter is not set, it defaults to 16.

caution

The subnet of a worker cluster determines the number of host addresses that are available to that cluster. Hence, you must be prudent and cautious when you set the maximum worker clusters. The value of the maximum number of clusters set remains constant for the entire life of a slice, and it is immutable after a slice is created.

The fewer the clusters, the more IP addresses are available for the application pods of every worker cluster that is part of a slice. By default, the value of the maxClusters parameter is 16. The supported value range is 2 to 32 clusters.