TH3. Basic concept(TCP vs UDP), trust & untrust network, firewall, route,gateway, protocols - DevWithNehaCloud/Oracle-Cloud-Infrastructure-wiki GitHub Wiki

OCI Basic Networking Concepts


1. TCP vs UDP

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that ensures reliable communication between devices.

Features of TCP

  • Reliable communication
  • Error checking available
  • Data packets arrive in correct order
  • Slower but secure

Common TCP Protocols

  • HTTP
  • HTTPS
  • SSH
  • FTP
  • SMTP

Example

When connecting to a Linux server using SSH or opening a website, TCP is used.


UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

UDP is a connectionless protocol that sends data without verifying delivery.

Features of UDP

  • Faster communication
  • No delivery guarantee
  • No packet ordering
  • Low latency

Common UDP Usage

  • Video streaming
  • Online gaming
  • Voice calls (VoIP)
  • DNS queries

Example

Live streaming applications commonly use UDP for faster transmission.


Difference Between TCP and UDP

Feature TCP UDP
Connection Type Connection-oriented Connectionless
Reliability High Low
Speed Slower Faster
Error Checking Yes Minimal
Packet Order Maintained Not maintained
Usage SSH, Web Browsing Streaming, Gaming

2. Trust and Untrust Network

Trust Network

A trusted network is considered secure and internal.

Examples

  • Private subnet
  • Internal company network
  • Backend application servers

Characteristics

  • Limited external access
  • More secure
  • Used for internal communication

Untrust Network

An untrusted network refers to external or public networks.

Examples

  • Internet
  • Public subnet
  • External users

Characteristics

  • Open access
  • Higher security risks
  • Requires firewall protection

OCI Example

Network Type OCI Example
Trust Network Private Subnet
Untrust Network Public Subnet with Internet Access

3. Firewall

A firewall is a security system that controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on rules.

It helps protect servers and applications from unauthorized access.


Purpose of Firewall

  • Protect servers from attacks
  • Allow only required ports
  • Block unwanted traffic
  • Improve overall security

Common Allowed Ports

Port Protocol Purpose
22 SSH Remote server access
80 HTTP Website traffic
443 HTTPS Secure website traffic

Firewall in OCI

OCI provides firewall functionality using:

  • Security Lists
  • Network Security Groups (NSG)

These control traffic for OCI resources.


4. Route

A route defines where network traffic should go.

Routes are managed using a Route Table.


Route Table Components

Component Description
Destination CIDR Target network range
Target Gateway used for traffic

Example Route Rule

Destination CIDR Target
0.0.0.0/0 Internet Gateway

Meaning

All internet traffic is sent through the Internet Gateway.


5. Gateway

A gateway connects one network to another network.

OCI provides multiple types of gateways.


Types of Gateways in OCI

1. Internet Gateway (IGW)

Allows communication between OCI VCN and the Internet.

Used For

  • Public subnets
  • Public websites
  • Internet access

2. NAT Gateway

Allows private instances to access the Internet without exposing them publicly.

Used For

  • OS updates
  • Package installation
  • Secure outbound internet access

3. Service Gateway

Provides private access to OCI services without using the Internet.

Used For

  • Accessing Object Storage privately

4. Dynamic Routing Gateway (DRG)

Connects OCI VCN with:

  • On-premises network
  • Other cloud networks

6. Protocols

A protocol is a set of communication rules used between devices.


Common Networking Protocols

Protocol Port Purpose
HTTP 80 Web traffic
HTTPS 443 Secure web traffic
SSH 22 Remote login
FTP 21 File transfer
DNS 53 Domain name resolution
SMTP 25 Sending emails
RDP 3389 Remote desktop connection

OCI Networking Flow Example

User → Internet → Internet Gateway → Route Table → Security List/NSG → OCI Instance

Flow Explanation

  1. User accesses application from Internet
  2. Traffic enters through Internet Gateway
  3. Route Table directs traffic to correct subnet
  4. Security List/NSG checks firewall rules
  5. Instance receives traffic using TCP/HTTPS protocol

Summary

Concept Description
TCP Reliable communication protocol
UDP Fast communication protocol
Trust Network Internal secure network
Untrust Network External/public network
Firewall Controls network traffic
Route Defines traffic path
Gateway Connects networks
Protocol Communication rules

Conclusion

These networking concepts are fundamental in OCI and cloud environments. Understanding TCP/UDP, firewalls, routes, gateways, and protocols helps in designing secure and efficient cloud infrastructure.

Advanced Simple OCI Networking Diagrams


1. Complete OCI Network Flow

                     User Request
                           │
                           ▼
                     Internet
                           │
                           ▼
                 Internet Gateway
                           │
                           ▼
                    Route Table
                           │
                           ▼
                 Security List / NSG
                           │
             ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
             │                           │
             ▼                           ▼
      Public Subnet               Private Subnet
             │                           │
             ▼                           ▼
      Web Server                  Database Server

2. Public vs Private Subnet

                     OCI VCN
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                              │
│   Public Subnet                              │
│   ┌──────────────────────┐                   │
│   │  Web Server          │                   │
│   │  Public IP Available │                   │
│   └──────────────────────┘                   │
│              │                               │
│              ▼                               │
│       Internet Access                        │
│                                              │
│----------------------------------------------│
│                                              │
│   Private Subnet                             │
│   ┌──────────────────────┐                   │
│   │  Database Server     │                   │
│   │  No Public IP        │                   │
│   └──────────────────────┘                   │
│                                              │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

3. Firewall Traffic Control

                Incoming Traffic
                        │
                        ▼
                 ┌────────────┐
                 │ Firewall   │
                 └─────┬──────┘
                       │
          ┌────────────┴────────────┐
          │                         │
          ▼                         ▼
   Allow Port 22              Block Unknown
       SSH Traffic               Traffic
          │
          ▼
     OCI Instance

4. Internet Gateway vs NAT Gateway

                      Internet
                          │
         ┌────────────────┴───────────────┐
         │                                │
         ▼                                ▼
 Internet Gateway                  NAT Gateway
         │                                │
         ▼                                ▼
 Public Subnet                    Private Subnet
         │                                │
         ▼                                ▼
 Public Server                    Private Server
(Accessible from Internet)     (No Direct Access)

5. Service Gateway Architecture

                Private Subnet
                       │
                       ▼
               Service Gateway
                       │
                       ▼
             OCI Object Storage

       (Private Access Without Internet)

6. DRG (Dynamic Routing Gateway)

           On-Premises Data Center
                      │
                      ▼
                    DRG
                      │
                      ▼
                 OCI VCN
                      │
          ┌───────────┴───────────┐
          ▼                       ▼
    Application Server      Database Server

7. TCP Handshake Diagram

Client                              Server
  │                                    │
  │ -------- SYN Request ----------->  │
  │                                    │
  │ <------ SYN-ACK Response --------  │
  │                                    │
  │ -------- ACK Response ---------->  │
  │                                    │
Connection Established Successfully

8. UDP Communication Diagram

Client                              Server
  │                                    │
  │ -------- Data Packet ----------->  │
  │                                    │

No Handshake
No Acknowledgement
Fast Communication

9. OCI Security Layer Flow

                 Internet
                     │
                     ▼
            Internet Gateway
                     │
                     ▼
               Route Table
                     │
                     ▼
          Security List / NSG
                     │
                     ▼
              OCI Instance
                     │
                     ▼
               Application

10. Simple OCI Architecture

                    Internet
                        │
                        ▼
                Load Balancer
                        │
        ┌───────────────┴───────────────┐
        ▼                               ▼
   Web Server 1                    Web Server 2
        │                               │
        └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                        ▼
                 Database Server
                  (Private Subnet)

OCI Networking Flow Explanation

Step-by-Step Traffic Flow

  1. User sends request from the Internet to access the application or server.

  2. The request first reaches the Internet Gateway, which allows communication between the Internet and OCI VCN.

  3. After entering the VCN, the traffic is checked by the Route Table to determine where the request should go.

  4. The Route Table forwards the traffic to the correct subnet (Public or Private Subnet).

  5. Before reaching the server, the traffic passes through Security Lists or NSG (Firewall Rules) for security checking.

  6. If the required port and protocol are allowed, the traffic reaches the OCI Compute Instance or application server.

  7. Finally, the application processes the request and sends the response back to the user through the same network path.