---
title: Configuring hybrid networking
---

# Configuring hybrid networking {#configuring-hybrid-networking}

In OpenShift Container Platform, you can configure OVN-Kubernetes hybrid networking so Linux and Windows nodes run Linux and Windows workloads in the same cluster.

## Configuring hybrid networking with OVN-Kubernetes {#configuring-hybrid-ovnkubernetes_configuring-hybrid-networking}

To configure hybrid networking with OVN-Kubernetes, you can set `hybridOverlayConfig` during installation or patch the Cluster Network Operator (CNO) after installation.

> [!NOTE]
> This configuration is necessary to run both Linux and Windows nodes in the same cluster.

**Prerequisites**

- Install the OpenShift CLI (`oc`).
- Log in to the cluster as a user with `cluster-admin` privileges.
- Ensure that the cluster uses the OVN-Kubernetes network plugin.

**Procedure**

1. To configure the OVN-Kubernetes hybrid network overlay, enter the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ oc patch networks.operator.openshift.io cluster --type=merge \
     -p '{
       "spec":{
         "defaultNetwork":{
           "ovnKubernetesConfig":{
             "hybridOverlayConfig":{
               "hybridClusterNetwork":[
                 {
                   "cidr": "<cidr>",
                   "hostPrefix": <prefix>
                 }
               ],
               "hybridOverlayVXLANPort": <overlay_port>
             }
           }
         }
       }
     }'
   ```

   where:

   `<cidr>`
   :   Specifies the CIDR configuration used for nodes on the additional overlay network. This CIDR must not overlap with the cluster network CIDR.

   `<prefix>`
   :   Specifies the subnet prefix length to assign to each individual node. For example, if `hostPrefix` is set to `23`, then each node is assigned a `/23` subnet out of the given `cidr`, which allows for 510 (2^(32 - 23) - 2) pod IP addresses. If you are required to provide access to nodes from an external network, configure load balancers and routers to manage the traffic.

   `<overlay_port>`
   :   Specifies a custom VXLAN port for the additional overlay network. This is required for running Windows nodes in a cluster installed on vSphere, and must not be configured for any other cloud provider. The custom port can be any open port excluding the default `6081` port. For more information on this requirement, see [Pod-to-pod connectivity between hosts is broken](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/kubernetes/common-problems#pod-to-pod-connectivity-between-hosts-is-broken-on-my-kubernetes-cluster-running-on-vsphere) in the Microsoft documentation.

   > [!NOTE]
   > Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC): Windows Server 2019 is not supported on clusters with a custom `hybridOverlayVXLANPort` value because this Windows server version does not support selecting a custom VXLAN port.

   ```text {title="Example output"}
   network.operator.openshift.io/cluster patched
   ```
2. To confirm that the configuration is active, enter the following command. It can take several minutes for the update to apply.

   ```terminal
   $ oc get network.operator.openshift.io -o jsonpath="{.items[0].spec.defaultNetwork.ovnKubernetesConfig}"
   ```

**Additional resources**
{._additional-resources}

- [Installing a cluster on AWS with network customizations](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_aws/ipi/installing-aws-customizations#installing-aws-customizations)
- [Installing a cluster on Azure with customizations](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_azure/ipi/installing-azure-customizations#installing-azure-customizations)