Chapter 4: A Virtualization Technologies Primer: Theory. More Cisco Press book chapters from new and classic Cisco Press books. Rate your favorite Cisco Press books. This chapter covers the technology used to build virtualized networks (VNs). As discussed previously, virtualization is not just about IPsec tunnels in the WAN—it covers a wide range of technology options on routers and switches. There are virtual partitions on routers and switches and protocol extensions that combine to maintain the end-to-end coherency of VNs across a shared infrastructure.
We consider virtualization in three main sections: Devices—How is traffic separation maintained internally to a device? This chapter does not cover architectures, topologies, or designs. The general format for each section of this chapter is to start with a discussion of the protocol technology, highlighting any important details, with some limited configuration examples. Virtual LAN (VLAN) Virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) Virtual forwarding instance (VFI) Virtual firewall context. Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Introduction to MPLS. MPLS in a Nutshell. The Benefits of MPLS Networks. Networking 101: What is MPLS?