Q: What networking model does OpenMetal use: software-defined, hardware VLAN, or both?
OpenMetal uses both software-defined networking and hardware-backed VLANs together, a combination that distinguishes its architecture from purely software-overlay approaches found on shared cloud platforms.
The software-defined layer is OpenStack Neutron, which provides programmable virtual network management: creating and modifying virtual networks, configuring routing, assigning floating IPs, and enforcing security group rules, all without touching physical switch configurations. Customers control this entirely through the OpenStack API, CLI, or Horizon dashboard.
The hardware beneath Neutron is dedicated bare metal. Because each OpenMetal deployment runs on physical servers allocated exclusively to a single customer, VLANs correspond to actual hardware isolation, not software emulation on top of a shared host. Dedicated bandwidth is not shared with neighbors, and VLAN isolation is enforced at the hardware level rather than relying solely on hypervisor rules. Within-VLAN traffic runs at up to 10 Gbps and is included in the base cloud cost.
In practice this means customers get the flexibility of software-defined networking (programmable routing, virtual routers, security groups) combined with the throughput and isolation characteristics of dedicated infrastructure. Public cloud providers typically offer only the software-defined layer on top of shared physical hardware, which introduces variable latency and bandwidth limitations that dedicated hardware eliminates.
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