Prefer hub-and-spoke topologies over many-to-many mesh

Effective network planning is crucial for ensuring reliability in cloud architectures. Implementing a hub-and-spoke architecture allows for streamlined, manageable connectivity among multiple environments while reducing the complexity and potential points of failure associated with many-to-many mesh topologies.

Best Practices

Implement Hub-and-Spoke Network Topology

• Utilize AWS Transit Gateway to establish a central hub for connecting multiple VPCs and on-premises networks, simplifying management and reducing complexity.
• Design your network with a focus on scalability by ensuring the hub can accommodate additional spokes as your architecture grows.
• Use clearly defined routing policies to control traffic flow between spokes and the hub, ensuring efficient intra-system connectivity.
• Implement security controls at both the hub and spoke levels, including Network Access Control Lists (NACLs) and Security Groups, to maintain a robust security posture.
• Consider the use of private connectivity options such as AWS Direct Connect for more reliable and consistent performance, especially for business-critical workloads.

Questions to ask your team

• Have you documented the network design for your workloads, including all VPCs, subnets, and their connections?
• How do you manage public and private IP address allocations across your network?
• What strategies do you have in place for domain name resolution across different environments?
• Are you using AWS Transit Gateway to manage interconnectivity, and if so, how is it implemented?
• What measures are in place to ensure fault tolerance within your network topology?
• How do you monitor the health and performance of your network connections?
• Have you defined clear security policies and access controls for your network architecture?
• What considerations have you made for scalability in your network design?

Who should be doing this?

Network Architect

• Design the overall network topology using a hub-and-spoke model.
• Evaluate and select appropriate connectivity options like VPC peering, AWS Direct Connect, and VPN.
• Establish guidelines for private and public IP address management.
• Ensure domain name resolution mechanisms are in place.
• Optimize intra- and inter-system connectivity based on reliability requirements.

Cloud Solutions Engineer

• Implement the network design as specified by the Network Architect.
• Monitor network performance and suggest improvements.
• Manage configurations for AWS Transit Gateway and other connectivity services.
• Collaborate with the security team to ensure that network connections comply with security policies.

DevOps Engineer

• Assist in the deployment and automation of networking resources in the cloud.
• Integrate monitoring and logging for network connectivity and performance.
• Work with the development team to ensure application requirements are met regarding network topology.

IT Operations Manager

• Oversee the operational aspects of the network topology.
• Facilitate communication between teams involved in network design and maintenance.
• Ensure that any network outages or issues are addressed promptly and effectively.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Network Topology Planning Guide: A comprehensive guide outlining the best practices for designing a hub-and-spoke network topology using AWS services like Transit Gateway, VPC peering, and Direct Connect.
• Hub-and-Spoke Topology Diagram: A visual diagram illustrating a sample hub-and-spoke network configuration, showcasing the central hub (Transit Gateway) connecting multiple VPCs and on-premises resources.
• Network Configuration Checklist: A checklist to ensure all necessary components and considerations are covered when implementing a hub-and-spoke network topology, including IP address management and domain resolution.
• AWS Transit Gateway Implementation Plan: A strategic plan detailing the steps for implementing AWS Transit Gateway as a hub to manage interconnectivity between various network environments.
• Reliability Network Policies: A set of organizational policies governing network connectivity strategies, prioritizing the use of hub-and-spoke models to enhance the reliability of multi-environment workloads.
• Network Monitoring Dashboard: A real-time monitoring dashboard that provides insights into network performance and reliability metrics for the hub-and-spoke architecture.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Transit Gateway: AWS Transit Gateway simplifies the network architecture by allowing you to connect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks into a single hub, reducing complexity in your network topology.
• AWS VPN: AWS VPN allows secure, encrypted connections between your on-premises networks and AWS, facilitating reliable connectivity in the hub-and-spoke model.
• AWS Direct Connect: AWS Direct Connect provides a dedicated network connection from your premises to AWS, ensuring consistent and reliable performance for your hub-and-spoke topology.
• Amazon Route 53: Amazon Route 53 provides domain name system (DNS) services that can help resolve workloads efficiently in a hub-and-spoke network topology.

Azure

• Azure Virtual WAN: Azure Virtual WAN offers a single operational interface for interconnecting multiple branch offices and Azure regions, which aligns well with a hub-and-spoke architecture.
• Azure VPN Gateway: Azure VPN Gateway enables secure site-to-site connectivity between your networks and Azure, useful for implementing a hub-and-spoke model.
• Azure ExpressRoute: Azure ExpressRoute provides a private connection to Azure from your on-premises environment, supporting reliable network architecture.
• Azure DNS: Azure DNS allows you to host your DNS domains and manage DNS records, helping with domain name resolution in your network topology.

Google Cloud Platform

• Google Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): Google Cloud VPC enables the creation of a global private network that can implement hub-and-spoke connectivity between multiple VPCs.
• Google Cloud Interconnect: Google Cloud Interconnect provides reliable, high-speed connections between your on-premises infrastructure and GCP, supporting a hub-and-spoke model.
• Google Cloud VPN: Google Cloud VPN allows you to connect your on-premises networks to GCP through secure tunnels, facilitating reliable connectivity.
• Google Cloud DNS: Google Cloud DNS offers a global, high-availability DNS service that can manage domain name resolution in your network.

Question: How do you plan your network topology?
Pillar: Reliability (Code: REL)