VMware NSX: Game Changer for Data Center Networks VMware's network virtualization product, NSX, may upend data center networks the same way the hypervisor changed servers. Now that VMware has conquered data center computing via server virtualization, the company is opening a beachhead on the network via its NSX product, which is being officially launched today at VMworld in San Francisco. VMware NSX is a software-defined network (SDN) that uses controllers and overlay networking. Overlay networking refers to the use of protocols such as VXLAN and STT to create a virtual network between hypervisors. I've written previously about the value of overlay networking, but the following are the key points to note about VMware's approach: First, you only have to configure the physical hypervisor network port once with a single IP address, because the overlay tunnels are sourced from an IP address. Networks Agents as Software You can find more about the technology behind overlays in "Network Overlays: An Introduction." Controller-Based Networking
Virtual Networking 101: Understanding VMware Networking May 30, 2012By Petra Jorgenson On a basic, structural level, virtual networks in VMware aren’t that different from physical networks; vSphere is designed to mimic the functions of a physical network, so a lot of the network hardware you’ll find in the real world, you’ll find virtualized in VMware. If you understand how physical networks operate, then understanding virtual networking shouldn’t be too difficult. Before jumping into an explanation of how VMware handles virtual networking, I’ll first provide a quick refresher of the basic equipment that makes up a physical network. To connect to a network, a computer must be network-capable, meaning that it must have a working network interface controller (NIC), also known as a network card or network adapter, installed. A virtual network is made up of all of the same hardware described above, but these objects are, obviously, virtualized. Standard Switches On a more technical level, a vSwitch attaches to the VMkernel inside a host server.
VMware wants to be the VMware of Networking « IT 2.0 By Massimo, on April 17th, 2012 There have been a lot of discussions lately about SDN (Software Defined Networking). Arguably SDN may mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. If you ask the like of Facebook, Google and academic researchers they will probably tell you that SDN is all about gaining full visibility (and control) on how packets flow on the network. People and organizations that are closer to the commercial world may tell you that SDN is all about creating an abstraction layer (virtualization anyone?) I’d like to focus on the latter definition of SDN. A few weeks ago Cisco’s Lauren Cooney asked a question on twitter on the line of “how would you define SDN?”. Look at the picture. SDN purists may very well argue that this PDF was not including important aspects of SDN such as self-service capabilities and a proper API to access these functionalities. I also hear a lot of discussions about VMware missing credibility in the networking space. Massimo.
Understanding Virtual Networking in VMware Workstation 9 Introduction In my opinion, VMware Workstation is the premier and ideal platform for virtualizing desktops on your local Windows or Linux laptop or desktop computer. This is because Workstation offers the most maturity and functionality out of any of the desktop-based hypervisors. Introduction to Virtual Networking in VMware Workstation It’s the virtual network, as created by VMware Workstation, which connects your virtual machines to the physical network. By default, VMware Workstation offers 3 types of virtual networks – NAT, bridged, and host-only. Here’s how the three default virtual networks break down and what “VM net” they map to. Three Types Of Virtual Networks In Workstation, By Default: Bridged = VMnet0NAT = VMnet8Host-only = VMnet1 Used to manage your virtual networks, here’s what the Workstation Virtual Network Editor looks like. Figure 1: VMware Workstation 9 Virtual Network Editor Additional notes: Understanding VMware Workstation NAT Networks Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5
VMware ESX network redundancy via Fibre Channel multipathing VMware ESX has built-in support for Fibre Channel multipathing, which enables network redundancy. There are several... By submitting your email address, you agree to receive emails regarding relevant topic offers from TechTarget and its partners. You also agree that your personal information may be transferred and processed in the United States, and that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy. ways to access multipathing controls, and three different multipathing policies. Understanding Fibre Channel multipathing Most Fibre Channel-based storage area networks (SANs) are built so that there isn't a single point of failure. As a result of this design, hosts have multiple ways of reaching a logical unit number (LUN). Accessing multipathing controls via VMware Infrastructure Client There are two ways to see and change the multipathing settings: via the VMware Infrastructure (VI) Client or by the Service console using the esxcfg-mpath command.
Configuring a Virtual Network Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next The first topics in this section give you a quick look at the virtual networking components that VMware Workstation provides and show how you can use them with your virtual machine. The rest of the section provides more detail on some networking capabilities and specialized configurations. Network Basics Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next VMware Workstation provides several ways you can configure a virtual machine for virtual networking. Bridged networking configures your virtual machine as a unique identity on the network, separate and unrelated to its host. Network address translation (NAT) configures your virtual machine to share the IP and MAC addresses of the host. Host-only networking configures your virtual machine to allow network access only to the host. Custom networking lets you configure your virtual machine's network connection manually. If you select the Typical setup path in the New Virtual Machine Wizard when you create a virtual machine, the wizard sets up bridged networking for the virtual machine. You can set up more specialized configurations by choosing the appropriate settings in the virtual machine settings editor, in the virtual network editor (on Windows hosts) and on your host computer.
Bridged Networking Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next Bridged networking connects a virtual machine to a network using the host computer's Ethernet adapter. Bridged networking is set up automatically if you select Use bridged networking in the New Virtual Machine Wizard or if you select the Typical setup path. This selection is available on a Linux host only if you enable the bridged networking option when you install VMware Workstation. If your host computer is on an Ethernet network, this is often the easiest way to give your virtual machine access to that network. If you use bridged networking, your virtual machine needs to have its own identity on the network. If you use bridged networking, the virtual machine is a full participant in the network. Be aware that if the host computer is set up to boot multiple operating systems and you run one or more of them in virtual machines, you need to configure each operating system with a unique network address.
Understanding NAT Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next Network address translation — or NAT — provides a simple way for virtual machines to use most client applications over almost any type of network connection available to the host. The only requirement is that the network connection must support TCP/IP. NAT is useful when you have a limited supply of IP addresses or are connected to the network through a non-Ethernet network adapter. NAT uses the host's own network resources to connect to the external network. The chief advantage of NAT is that it provides a transparent, easy to configure way for virtual machines to gain access to network resources. This section discusses the following topics:
DNS on the NAT Network Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next The NAT device acts as a DNS server for the virtual machines on the NAT network. If they get their configuration information from DHCP, the virtual machines on the NAT network automatically use the NAT device as the DNS server. The virtual machines in the private NAT network are not, themselves, accessible via DNS.