@@ -299,6 +299,11 @@ func (n *networkRouter) buildNetworkResource(nw libnetwork.Network) *types.Netwo

 	r.Containers = make(map[string]types.EndpointResource)

 	buildIpamResources(r, info)

 	r.Labels = info.Labels()

+	r.ConfigOnly = info.ConfigOnly()

+

+	if cn := info.ConfigFrom(); cn != "" {

+		r.ConfigFrom = network.ConfigReference{Network: cn}

+	}

 	peers := info.Peers()

 	if len(peers) != 0 {

@@ -100,3 +100,8 @@ func (es *EndpointSettings) Copy() *EndpointSettings {

 type NetworkingConfig struct {

 	EndpointsConfig map[string]*EndpointSettings // Endpoint configs for each connecting network

 }

+

+// ConfigReference specifies the source which provides a network's configuration

+type ConfigReference struct {

+	Network string

+}

@@ -403,6 +403,8 @@ type NetworkResource struct {

 	Internal   bool                           // Internal represents if the network is used internal only

 	Attachable bool                           // Attachable represents if the global scope is manually attachable by regular containers from workers in swarm mode.

 	Ingress    bool                           // Ingress indicates the network is providing the routing-mesh for the swarm cluster.

+	ConfigFrom network.ConfigReference        // ConfigFrom specifies the source which will provide the configuration for this network.

+	ConfigOnly bool                           // ConfigOnly networks are place-holder networks for network configurations to be used by other networks. ConfigOnly networks cannot be used directly to run containers or services.

 	Containers map[string]EndpointResource    // Containers contains endpoints belonging to the network

 	Options    map[string]string              // Options holds the network specific options to use for when creating the network

 	Labels     map[string]string              // Labels holds metadata specific to the network being created

@@ -435,6 +437,8 @@ type NetworkCreate struct {

 	Internal       bool

 	Attachable     bool

 	Ingress        bool

+	ConfigOnly     bool

+	ConfigFrom     *network.ConfigReference

 	Options        map[string]string

 	Labels         map[string]string

 }

@@ -320,6 +320,10 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) createNetwork(create types.NetworkCreateRequest, id string

 		libnetwork.NetworkOptionIngress(create.Ingress),

 	}

+	if create.ConfigOnly {

+		nwOptions = append(nwOptions, libnetwork.NetworkOptionConfigOnly())

+	}

+

 	if create.IPAM != nil {

 		ipam := create.IPAM

 		v4Conf, v6Conf, err := getIpamConfig(ipam.Config)

@@ -337,6 +341,10 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) createNetwork(create types.NetworkCreateRequest, id string

 		nwOptions = append(nwOptions, libnetwork.NetworkOptionPersist(false))

 	}

+	if create.ConfigFrom != nil {

+		nwOptions = append(nwOptions, libnetwork.NetworkOptionConfigFrom(create.ConfigFrom.Network))

+	}

+

 	n, err := c.NewNetwork(driver, create.Name, id, nwOptions...)

 	if err != nil {

 		if _, ok := err.(libnetwork.ErrDataStoreNotInitialized); ok {

@@ -501,10 +509,16 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) deleteNetwork(networkID string, dynamic bool) error {

 	if err := nw.Delete(); err != nil {

 		return err

 	}

-	daemon.pluginRefCount(nw.Type(), driverapi.NetworkPluginEndpointType, plugingetter.Release)

-	ipamType, _, _, _ := nw.Info().IpamConfig()

-	daemon.pluginRefCount(ipamType, ipamapi.PluginEndpointType, plugingetter.Release)

-	daemon.LogNetworkEvent(nw, "destroy")

+

+	// If this is not a configuration only network, we need to

+	// update the corresponding remote drivers' reference counts

+	if !nw.Info().ConfigOnly() {

+		daemon.pluginRefCount(nw.Type(), driverapi.NetworkPluginEndpointType, plugingetter.Release)

+		ipamType, _, _, _ := nw.Info().IpamConfig()

+		daemon.pluginRefCount(ipamType, ipamapi.PluginEndpointType, plugingetter.Release)

+		daemon.LogNetworkEvent(nw, "destroy")

+	}

+

 	return nil

 }

@@ -315,6 +315,9 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) localNetworksPrune(ctx context.Context, pruneFilters filte

 			return true

 		default:

 		}

+		if nw.Info().ConfigOnly() {

+			return false

+		}

 		if !until.IsZero() && nw.Info().Created().After(until) {

 			return false

 		}