The document discusses the future of cloud networking and how VMware NSX addresses its challenges. It outlines essential characteristics of cloud computing and the requirements for networking to support it, emphasizing automation, programmability, and integration. Key components of VMware NSX and its architectural overview are presented, highlighting its capabilities in virtualized network services.

1. © 2014 VMware Inc. All rights reserved.
Scott Lowe, VCDX
Engineering Architect
20 March 2014
The Future of Cloud Networking
is VMware NSX

2. CONFIDENTIAL
Before we begin
• Please get involved and ask questions—participation is
highly encouraged
• Feel free participate via social media with pictures, videos,
or other updates; use hashtag #VarrowMadness
• Please silence your mobile devices for the benefit of all
attendees
• This presentation will be available after the event
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3. CONFIDENTIAL 3
I know “cloud networking” sounds
like...

4. CONFIDENTIAL
...but this is cloud washing!
4

5. Networking in the era of
cloud computing
Why the term “cloud networking” isn’t just
marketing-speak

6. CONFIDENTIAL
NIST definition of cloud computing
• Five “essential
characteristics” of cloud
computing:
• On-demand self-service
• Resource pooling
• Rapid elasticity
• Measured service
• Broad network access
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Taken from http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf

7. CONFIDENTIAL
How does this affect networking?
To support cloud computing, networking must:
1. Be fully automated & programmable for integration into CMPs
(on-demand self-service)
2. Be abstracted from hardware in order to pool available capacity
(resource pooling)
3. Support programmability and integration with orchestration/
provisioning solutions (rapid elasticity)
4. Provide fine-grained visibility & accounting (measured service)
5. Support any network topology & any network equipment (broad
network access)
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8. CONFIDENTIAL 8

9. Components of a cloud
networking platform
Looking at what is needed to build a platform to
address the needs of cloud networking

10. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
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11. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

12. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

13. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

14. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

15. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

16. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

17. CONFIDENTIAL
L2
L3
Virtual Network
L2
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
10

18. CONFIDENTIAL
L2
L3
Virtual Network
L2
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
CMP
10

19. CONFIDENTIAL
What’s in a cloud networking
platform?
• Virtual switch at the edge of the network
• Centralized control over/knowledge of the logical network
topology
• Decoupled control plane and data plane
• Network isolation mechanism
• Virtualized network services (L2, L3, load balancer, firewall)
• Programmatic access for integration with CMP
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20. Examining VMware NSX
How VMware NSX addresses the needs of cloud
networking

21. CONFIDENTIAL 13

22. CONFIDENTIAL 14

23. CONFIDENTIAL
Peeling back the covers a bit
15
• Key components of VMware NSX:
• Scale-out, highly-available controller cluster
• Northbound RESTful API for CMP integration (vCAC,
OpenStack, CloudStack)
• Virtual switch in the hypervisors at the edge (Open vSwitch
for KVM and Xen; NSX vSwitch for vSphere)
• Tunneling protocol for data plane traffic (STT, GRE, VXLAN)
• Virtualized and distributed network services (load balancing,
firewalling, VPN)
• Physical switch integration

24. CONFIDENTIAL
VMware NSX architectural overview
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VLAN
L2
L3
Virtual Network
L2
NSX Gateway
Physical Network
vSphere Host vSphere Host KVM Xen Server
NSX vSwitch NSX vSwitch Open vSwitch Open vSwitch
Hardware
Software
Controller Cluster
VLAN
VTEP API
HW Partner
VM VM
“NSX API”
CMP

25. CONFIDENTIAL 17
“It’s our
network
upgrade
plan... Or
we could
virtualize
it.”

26. Questions & answers

27. Thank you
Scott Lowe
slowe@vmware.com
@scott_lowe (Twitter)
http://blog.scottlowe.org
Colossians 3:17 NIV