A few readability fixes

content/articles/2025-05-04-containerlab-2.md

@@ -61,19 +61,19 @@ CMD ["/sbin/init-container.sh"]
 ```
 
 A few notable additions:
-*   ***vppcfg*** is the utility I wrote and described in a previous [[article]({{< ref
+*   ***vppcfg*** is a handy utility I wrote and discussed in a previous [[article]({{< ref
-    2022-04-02-vppcfg-2 >}})]. It's purpose is to take YAML file that describes the configuration of
+    2022-04-02-vppcfg-2 >}})]. Its purpose is to take YAML file that describes the configuration of
-    the dataplane (like which interfaces, sub-interfaces, MTU, IP addresses and so on), and apply
+    the dataplane (like which interfaces, sub-interfaces, MTU, IP addresses and so on), and then
-    this safely to a running dataplane. You can check it out in the
+    apply this safely to a running dataplane. You can check it out in my
     [[vppcfg](https://git.ipng.ch/ipng/vppcfg)] git repository.
 *   ***openssh-server*** will come in handy to log in to the container, in addition to the already
     available `docker exec`.
-*   ***bird2*** which will be my controlplane of choice. In a future date, I might also add FRR,
+*   ***bird2*** which will be my controlplane of choice. At a future date, I might also add FRR,
     which may be a good alterantive for some. VPP works well with both. You can check out Bird on
     the nic.cz [[website](https://bird.network.cz/?get_doc&f=bird.html&v=20)].
 
 I'll add a couple of default config files for Bird and VPP, and replace the CMD with a generic
-`init-container.sh` in which I can do any late binding stuff.
+`/sbin/init-container.sh` in which I can do any late binding stuff before launching VPP.
 
 ### Initializing the Container
 
@@ -93,7 +93,8 @@ echo "Creating dataplane namespace"
 
 #### VPP Containerlab: SSH
 
-Then, I'll set the root password and start aan SSH daemon which allows for password-less logins:
+Then, I'll set the root password (which is `vpp` by the way), and start aan SSH daemon which allows
+for password-less logins:
 
 ```
 echo "Starting SSH, with credentials root:vpp"
@@ -104,8 +105,9 @@ sed -i -e 's,^root:.*,root:$y$j9T$kG8pyZEVmwLXEtXekQCRK.$9iJxq/bEx5buni1hrC8Vmvk
 
 #### VPP Containerlab: Bird2
 
-I can already predict that Bird2 won't be the only option for a controlplane. Therefore, I'll make
+I can already predict that Bird2 won't be the only option for a controlplane, even though I'm a huge
-it configurable:
+fan of it. Therefore, I'll make it configurable to leave the door open for other controlplane
+implementations in the future:
 
 ```
 BIRD_ENABLED=${BIRD_ENABLED:="true"}
@@ -120,20 +122,21 @@ if [ "$BIRD_ENABLED" == "true" ]; then
 fi
 ```
 
-I remember that Bird won't start if it cannot determine its _router id_. When I start it in the
+I am reminded that Bird won't start if it cannot determine its _router id_. When I start it in the
-`dataplane` namespace, it will immediately exit. But luckily, it logs its complaint and it's easily
+`dataplane` namespace, it will immediately exit, because there will be no IP addresses configured
-addressed. I decide to take the management IPv4 address, from `eth0` and write that into the
+yet. But luckily, it logs its complaint and it's easily addressed. I decide to take the management
-`bird.conf` file, which does some basic initialization which I've described in a previous
+IPv4 address from `eth0` and write that into the `bird.conf` file, which otherwise does some basic
-[[article]({{< ref 2021-09-02-vpp-5 >}})], so I'll skip that here. However, I do include an empty
+initialization that I described in a previous [[article]({{< ref 2021-09-02-vpp-5 >}})], so I'll
-file called `/etc/bird/bird-local.conf` for users to further configure Bird2.
+skip that here. However, I do include an empty file called `/etc/bird/bird-local.conf` for users to
+further configure Bird2.
 
 #### VPP Containerlab: Binding veth pairs
 
 When Containerlab starts the VPP container, it'll offer it a set of `veth` ports that connect this
-container to any other node in the lab. This is done by the `links` list in the topology file
+container to other nodes in the lab. This is done by the `links` list in the topology file
 [[ref](https://containerlab.dev/manual/network/)]. It's my goal to take all of the interfaces
-that are of type `veth`, and generate a little snippet to grab them and bind them into VPP, as
+that are of type `veth`, and generate a little snippet to grab them and bind them into VPP while
-follows:
+setting their MTU to 9216 to allow for jumbo frames:
 
 ```
 CLAB_VPP_FILE=${CLAB_VPP_FILE:=/etc/vpp/clab.vpp}
@@ -155,6 +158,12 @@ EOF
 done
 ```
 
+{{< image width="5em" float="left" src="/assets/shared/warning.png" alt="Warning" >}}
+
+One thing I realized is that VPP will assign a random MAC address on its copy of the `veth` port,
+which is not great. I'll explicitly configure it with the same MAC address as the `veth` interface
+itself, otherwise I'd have to put the interface into promiscuous mode.
+
 #### VPP Containerlab: VPPcfg
 
 I'm almost ready, but I have one more detail. The user will be able to offer a
@@ -171,8 +180,8 @@ if [ -r /etc/vpp/vppcfg.yaml ]; then
 fi
 ```
 
-Once VPP starts, it'll execute `/etc/vpp/bootstrap.vpp`, which in turn executes these newly
+Once the VPP process starts, it'll execute `/etc/vpp/bootstrap.vpp`, which in turn executes these
-generated `/etc/vpp/clab.vpp` to grab the `veth` interfaces, and then `/etc/vpp/vppcfg.vpp` to
+newly generated `/etc/vpp/clab.vpp` to grab the `veth` interfaces, and then `/etc/vpp/vppcfg.vpp` to
 further configure the dataplane. Easy peasy!
 
 ### Adding VPP to Containerlab
@@ -183,7 +192,8 @@ get me started. I fork the repo, create a branch so that Roman can also add a fe
 together we start hacking in [[PR#2571](https://github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/pull/2571)].
 
 First, I add the documentation skeleton in `docs/manual/kinds/fdio_vpp.md`, which links in from a
-few other places, and will be where the end-user facing documentation will live.
+few other places, and will be where the end-user facing documentation will live. That's about half
+the contributed LOC, right there!
 
 Next, I'll create a Go module in `nodes/fdio_vpp/fdio_vpp.go` which doesn't do much other than
 creating the `struct`, and its required `Register` and `Init` functions. The `Init` function ensures
@@ -196,10 +206,10 @@ So, containerlab informs the container using an environment variable called `CLA
 script simply sleeps for a while until that exact amount of interfaces are present. Ok, cool beans.
 
 Roman helps me a bit with Go templating. You see, I think it'll be slick to have the CLI prompt for
-the VPP containers to reflect their hostname, because normally, VPP will assign `vpp# `. When
+the VPP containers to reflect their hostname, because normally, VPP will assign `vpp# `. I add the
-running many VPP containers in the lab, it could get confusing. So, I add the template in
+template in `nodes/fdio_vpp/vpp_startup_config.go.tpl` and it only has one variable expansion: `unix
-`nodes/fdio_vpp/vpp_startup_config.go.tpl` and it only has one variable: `cli-prompt {{ .ShortName
+{ cli-prompt {{ .ShortName }}# }`. But I totally think it's worth it, because when running many VPP
-}}# `, et voila!
+containers in the lab, it could otherwise get confusing. 
 
 Roman also shows me a trick in the function `PostDeploy()`, which will write the user's SSH pubkeys
 to `/root/.ssh/authorized_keys`. This allows users to log in without having to use password
@@ -208,7 +218,7 @@ authentication.
 Collectively, we decide to punt on the `SaveConfig` function until we're a bit further along. I have
 an idea how this would work, basically along the lines of calling `vppcfg dump` and bind-mounting
 that file into the lab directory somewhere. This way, upon restarting, the YAML file can be re-read
-and the dataplane initialized.
+and the dataplane initialized. But it'll be for another day.
 
 After the main module is finished, all I have to do is add it to `clab/register.go` and that's just
 about it. In about 170 lines of code, 50 lines of Go template, and 170 lines of Markdown, this
@@ -234,7 +244,7 @@ one Alpine linux container, in the following topology:
 
 {{< image src="/assets/containerlab/learn-vpp.png" alt="Containerlab Topo" width="100%" >}}
 
-Two relevant files for VPP are included in this
+Two relevant files for each VPP router are included in this
 [[repository](https://git.ipng.ch/ipng/vpp-containerlab)]:
 1.   `config/vpp*/vppcfg.yaml` configures the dataplane interfaces, including a loopback address.
 1.   `config/vpp*/bird-local.conf` configures the controlplane to enable BFD and OSPF.
@@ -261,7 +271,7 @@ loopbacks:
     addresses: [ 10.82.98.0/32, 2001:db8:8298::/128 ]
 ```
 
-Then, I enable BFD, OSPF and OSPFv3 on `eth2' and 'loop0` on both of the VPP routers:
+Then, I enable BFD, OSPF and OSPFv3 on `eth2` and `loop0` on both of the VPP routers:
 ```
 pim@summer:~/src/vpp-containerlab$ cat config/vpp1/bird-local.conf 
 protocol bfd bfd1 {
@@ -287,8 +297,8 @@ protocol ospf v3 ospf6 {
 
 #### Containerlab: playtime!
 
-Once the lab comes up, I can SSH to the VPP containers (`vpp1` and `vpp2`) for which Roman's code
+Once the lab comes up, I can SSH to the VPP containers (`vpp1` and `vpp2`) which have my SSH pubkeys
-saw to it that my SSH keys are installed. Otherwise, I could still log in as user `root` using
+installed thanks to Roman's work. Barring that, I could still log in as user `root` using
 password `vpp`. VPP runs its own network namespace called `dataplane`, which is very similar to SR
 Linux default `network-instance`. I can join that namespace to take a closer look: