Network-accessible service for managing communications for computing node groups using rules

A method comprising:

• performing, by a network-accessible service implemented by one or more computing systems having respective hardware processors and associated memory:
• providing, according to first configuration information from a client, a virtual network of virtual machines for use by the client, wherein the first configuration information specifies a group name for a group of at least some of the virtual machines;
• receiving, from the client and via an interactive interface, one or more rules for managing communications to or from the group, including a first rule that specifies:
• (a) one or more source IP addresses of a communication,
• (b) the group name for the group as a destination of the communication,
• (c) one or more target port numbers of the communication,
• (d) one or more protocols of the communication,
• (e) an action to either allow or deny the communication, and
• configuring one or more transmission managers to manage the communications to or from the group, wherein the one or more transmission managers is configured to forward or drop inbound communications to the group according to the first rule.

One or more computer readable media storing program instructions that when executed on or across one or more processors implement at least a portion of a network-accessible service and cause the network-accessible service to:

• provide, according to first configuration information from a client, a virtual network of virtual machines for use by the client, wherein the first configuration information specifies a group name for a group of at least some of the virtual machines;
• receive, from the client and via an interactive interface, one or more rules for managing communications to or from the group, including a first rule that specifies:
• (a) one or more source IP addresses of a communication,
• (b) the group name for the group as a destination of the communication,
• (c) one or more target port numbers of the communication,
• (d) one or more protocols of the communication,
• (e) an action to either allow or deny the communication, and
• configure one or more transmission managers to manage the communications to or from the group, wherein the one or more transmission managers is configured to forward or drop inbound communications to the group according to the first rule.