Introduction
RCS Virtual Private Cloud 2.0 (VPC 2.0) is a new version of the VPC service. VPC 2.0 is separate from and works in parallel to the original VPC service. VPC 2.0 is similar to the original VPC service but offers some improvements. VPC 2.0 is also foundational to many network products and features that RCS has planned for the future.
How is VPC 2.0 Different?
RCS's original VPC service facilitated Ethernet adjacency between attached nodes, with the RCS network functioning as though it connected the nodes via a Layer 2 Ethernet switch. In contrast, VPC 2.0 does not provide Ethernet adjacency between attached nodes. Instead, it operates as if the nodes are connected via an IP router.
The change to IP routing enables several improvements in VPC 2.0 compared to the original VPC service. Most notably, VPC 2.0 scales far better than its predecessor. While the original VPC feature had a limit of 126 node attachments, VPC 2.0 allows for considerably higher node attachments.
Due to its IP-routed infrastructure, VPC 2.0 does not support the transmission of Broadcast or Multicast packets. Although these packets typically represent a small percentage of traffic on an Ethernet network, not having to deal with them results in a slight performance improvement for systems attached to VPC 2.0 private networks.
Furthermore, VPC 2.0 lays the foundation for RCS's future improvements to networking features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will your original VPC networks continue to function as usual?
Yes. VPC 2.0 works in parallel to the original VPC feature. Note that you should be careful to maintain unique IP addressing schemes across all your VPCs, whether original or 2.0, to avoid having nodes confused by which overlapping IP blocks to use.
Can you simultaneously add an instance to the original VPC and VPC 2.0?
Bare Metal servers can not be attached to both VPC 2.0 and original VPCs. However, VPC 2.0 will work cleanly alongside original VPCs and can be attached to VPS nodes simultaneously.
Again, please beware of the implications of overlapping IP blocks when creating multiple VPCs, whether original VPCs or VPC 2.0 VPCs.
Can original VPCs convert to VPC 2.0 networks?
We don't currently have any way to convert original VPCs to VPC 2.0 networks. We will consider creating a conversion process, but for now, there is no need to convert original VPCs into VPC 2.0 networks.
Can you add a new instance to the original VPC networks?
Yes, original VPC will continue to be available and new nodes can continue to be attached to existing or new original VPCs. We do not yet have a date set for the deprecation of original VPC.
When will original VPCs be deprecated?
We do not, yet, have a date set for the deprecation of original VPC. You can continue using your original VPCs in confidence. We will announce when we will be depreciating the original VPC service well before the depreciation. We encourage you to use VPC 2.0 network for any new VPC needs.
Can you route between original VPCs and VPC 2.0 networks?
At this time, you cannot reliably route between original VPCs and VPC 2.0 networks. VPC 2.0 uses a routing function with the VPC, and it would need a static route created within the VPC to direct traffic toward the original VPC. Static routes are one of the first additional features we intend to add to VPC 2.0 to address this issue.
What are the benefits of VPC 2.0?
The primary benefit of VPC 2.0 is a much-increased scalability for the number of nodes that can be attached to the VPC. It also offers a minor performance upgrade as VPC 2.0 does not process broadcast and multicast traffic.
Will my original VPC break in any way?
No, original VPC and VPC 2.0 operate in parallel and do not conflict with each other in any way. If you are using multiple VPCs, regardless of version, you should beware of the implications of IP address selections as discussed above.
