pod_to_pod_multicast_disc

Communications Between Pods Inside a Kubernetes Cluster via Multicast Discovery

Problem

You want to establish communications between Connext DDS applications running in different pods within a Kubernetes cluster.

Solution

When running Connext DDS applications in a Kubernetes cluster, especially when leveraging a Container Network Interface (CNI) plugin supporting multicast (e.g., WeaveNet and Cilium), you can use automatic builtin discovery between DDS application pods. This built-in discovery of DDS mechanism eliminates the need for a Kubernetes service for DDS discovery. DDS application pods can autonomously discover and establish connections with each other through topics, abstracting IP-based communications. This enables DDS application pods to communicate seamlessly within the cluster without relying on a Kubernetes service.

Required Docker Images

• RTI DDS Ping

Steps

Follow these steps to enable pod-to-pod communication for DDS applications within your Kubernetes cluster:

Create a Deployment for DDS ping publisher.

$ kubectl create -f rtiddsping_pub.yaml

This command deploys the RTI DDS Ping Publisher within your Kubernetes cluster.

Create a Deployment for DDS ping subscriber.

$ kubectl create -f rtiddsping_sub.yaml

This command creates a Deployment for the RTI DDS Ping Subscriber. This subscriber can now communicate with the RTI DDS Ping publisher.

These steps ensure that your DDS applications can communicate seamlessly within the Kubernetes cluster, leveraging DDS's built-in discovery mechanism. With this setup, you don't need to create an additional Kubernetes service for DDS discovery, simplifying your cluster configuration and communication setup.

Remember to adapt the configurations and images according to your specific use case, and ensure you have a Kubernetes cluster with a compatible container networking interface (CNI) plugin that supports multicast for DDS discovery.