Compute Virtualization

What is network virtualization, and how does it differ from software-defined networking (SDN)?

 

In contrast to SDN, in which hardware remains the driving force, VMware network virtualization technology truly decouples network resources from underlying hardware. Virtualization principles are applied to physical network infrastructure, abstracting network services to create a flexible pool of transport capacity that can be allocated, utilized and repurposed on demand.

 

How Do Virtualized Networks Work?

 

In a close analogy to the virtual machine, a virtualized network is a software container that presents logical network components—logical switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, VPNs and more—to connected workloads.

 

These virtualized networks are programmatically created, provisioned and managed, with the underlying physical network serving as a simple packet-forwarding backplane. Network and security services are allocated to each VM according to its needs, and stay attached to it as the VM moves among hosts in the dynamic virtualized environment.

 

VMware’s network virtualization platform, NSX, deploys on top of existing physical network hardware and supports the newest fabrics and geometries from all vendors. Existing applications and monitoring tools work smoothly with NSX without any modifications.

VMware’s Software-Defined Storage (SDS) strategy is to evolve storage architectures through the pervasive hypervisor, bringing to storage the simplicity, efficiency, and cost-savings that server virtualization brought to compute. Software-Defined Storage abstracts the underlying storage through a virtual data plane, making the VM, and thus the application, the fundamental unit of storage provisioning and management across heterogeneous storage systems. By creating a flexible separation between applications and available resources, the hypervisor can balance all IT resources—compute, memory, storage and networking—needed by an application.

 

VMware’s Software-Defined Storage solutions enhance today’s data center by delivering:

• Per-application storage services: SDS applies at the VM level, allowing storage services to be tailored to the precise requirements of an application and adjusted as needed on a per-application basis, without affecting neighboring applications. Administrators are in complete control of which storage services, and therefore costs, are consumed by which application.
• Rapid changes to storage infrastructure: SDS uses a dynamic and non-disruptive model, just as in compute virtualization. IT admins can precisely match application demand and supply at the exact time the resources are needed. Storage services become fluid—a little more for this application now, a little less for that one later.
• Heterogeneous storage support: SDS lets you leverage existing storage solutions, such as SAN and NAS, or direct attached storage on x86 industry-standard hardware. With industry standard servers, the backbone of Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, IT organizations can design low-cost and scalable storage environments that easily adjust to specific and ever-changing storage needs.

The fully virtualized data center is automated and managed by intelligent, policy-based data center management software, vastly simplifying governance and operations. A single, unified management platform lets you centrally monitor and administer all applications across physical geographies, heterogeneous infrastructure and hybrid clouds. You can deploy and manage workloads in physical, virtual and cloud environments with a unified management experience. IT becomes agile, elastic and responsive to a degree never before possible.

 

Cloud Automation

Infrastructure and applications services are requested via a self-service portal where authorized administrators, developers or business users can select services that comply with pre-defined business policies. Service delivery is highly automated. Logical infrastructure and application blueprints model services that can be deployed in any approved cloud environment. The right levels of resources are automatically allocated based on business requirements and service-level requirements. Workloads are dynamically and continually orchestrated and balanced as dictated by changing patterns of demand.

 

Cloud Operations

With a scale-out and resilient operations platform, administrators get control over performance, capacity and configuration management. Predictive analytics and smart alerts help identify and rectify potential issues before they impact service quality. Intuitive performance dashboards provide app-to-storage visibility across physical, virtual and cloud environments. Log management capabilities extend analytics to unstructured data, for better visibility and faster problem resolution. Over- and under-provisioned VMs are right-sized to balance service level requirements with resource utilization. Powerful capacity modeling identifies “what if” scenarios to anticipate and optimize future infrastructure spend.

 

Cloud Business

CIOs and IT executives can demonstrate and compare the costs of complex initiatives and investments, including private and public clouds. Users can see the cost of service in the service catalog. Visibility and transparency of the types, cost and quality of IT services consumed by a business unit, enable show and charge back the quantity and types of IT services consumed. Industry benchmark data and reporting help compare IT expenses to peer companies and cloud service providers, for informed sourcing decisions that drive down costs.

VMware software-defined architecture can be deployed in your data center as a private cloud or off-site using secure infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) operated by VMware or one of our certified partners. Most companies choose a hybrid combination of on-premises and IaaS platforms.
 

All three options are built on the same VMware Software-Defined Data Center technology, so you can easily migrate workloads among clouds and control and govern your hybrid environment from a single management interface.

 

Software-Defined Private Cloud: On-Premises in Your Data Center

VMware provides flexible paths for evolving to a software-defined private cloud that you deploy on your own physical infrastructure. Customers typically begin with VMware vSphere with Operations Management, and at their own pace, add software-defined networking and storage, and various elements of our comprehensive management layer. Alternatively, you can move up to a full-infrastructure solution, VMware vCloud Suite, directly from vSphere with Operations Management. Or extend your Software-Defined Data Center management to include other hypervisor platforms or public cloud services with the VMware vRealize Suite purpose built for hybrid cloud.

 

Cloud Services from VMware Partners

Certified VMware partners offer an array of globally consistent, flexible and custom-tailored cloud services. These too are built on VMware software-defined technology, for compatibility with your internal data center, guaranteed service levels, auditable security and assured compliance.