OpenStack is an open-source cloud computing platform that manages large pools of compute, storage, and networking resources throughout a datacenter. It includes several independent services like Nova (compute), Neutron (networking), Swift (object storage), and Glance (image service). Hands-on experience with OpenStack can be gained through all-in-one installations or multi-node configurations on physical or virtual machines using various OpenStack distributions from companies like Red Hat, Ubuntu, and Mirantis. Neutron provides virtual networking and integration with technologies like Open vSwitch, namespaces, and plugins to enable multi-tenant isolation.