[Proposal] KEP-4962 Standardizing the Representation of Cluster Network Topology

[Dmitry Shmulevich]

Hello!

I wanted to share details about the work I’ve been involved in regarding cluster network topology.

We are proposing to standardize the way switched network topology is represented in the cluster, and I would like to gather feedback from the community.

During the recent KubeCon, we discussed this idea with folks from all major CSPs and received positive responses. Based on that input, I have put together KEP 4962: "Standardizing the Representation of Cluster Network Topology" (https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/pull/4965).

To briefly summarize, this KEP proposes creating a standard for node labels to indicate, for each node, the reachable network switches (whether physical or aggregated).

These labels could be used with existing scheduler features (e.g., as a topology key in pod affinity) or serve as a foundation for building a network-aware, Kubernetes-native scheduler - a goal we are also pursuing.

I’d appreciate it if you could review the KEP and share your thoughts. I’d also like to discuss this proposal in the next meeting on December 12 or a later date.

Thank you,

Dmitry