12 Software Networks
the control part and the management part. Thus, today, we can
uncouple a physical machine which, in the past, was unique, into
several different machines – one of them physical (e.g. a transceiver
broadcasting along a metal cable) and the others virtual. One of the
advantages of this uncoupling is that we can deport the virtual parts
onto other physical machines for execution. This means that we can
adapt the power of the resources to the results we wish to obtain.
Operations originating on different physical machines can be
multiplexed onto the same software machine on a single physical
server. This solution helps us to economize on the overall cost of the
system, but also on the energy expended, by grouping together the
necessary power using a single machine that is much more powerful
and more economical.
Today, all legacy machines in the world of networking have either
been virtualized already or are in the process of being virtualized –
Nodes-B for processing the signals from 3G, 4G and soon 5G mobile
networks, HLRs and VLRs, routers, switches, different types of
routers/switches such as those of MPLS, firewalls, authentication or
identity-management servers, etc. In addition, these virtual machines
can be partitioned so they execute on several physical machines in
parallel.
We can appreciate the importance of the Cloud and associated
datacenters, because they are placed where the processing power is
available at a relatively low cost, as is the memory space needed to
store the virtual machines and a whole range of information pertaining
to the networks, clients and processing algorithms. The tendency with
server virtualization is to focus on huge datacenters, but with the help
of distribution, we are seeing smaller and smaller datacenters.
1.4. Conclusion
Virtualization is the fundamental property of the new generation of
networks, where we make the move from hardware to software.
Whilst there is a noticeable reduction in performance at the start, it is
compensated by more powerful, less costly physical machines.
Nonetheless, the opposite move to virtualization is crucial: that of
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the control part and the management part. Thus, today, we can
uncouple a physical machine which, in the past, was unique, into
several different machines – one of them physical (e.g. a transceiver
broadcasting along a metal cable) and the others virtual. One of the
advantages of this uncoupling is that we can deport the virtual parts
onto other physical machines for execution. This means that we can
adapt the power of the resources to the results we wish to obtain.
Operations originating on different physical machines can be
multiplexed onto the same software machine on a single physical
server. This solution helps us to economize on the overall cost of the
system, but also on the energy expended, by grouping together the
necessary power using a single machine that is much more powerful
and more economical.
Today, all legacy machines in the world of networking have either
been virtualized already or are in the process of being virtualized –
Nodes-B for processing the signals from 3G, 4G and soon 5G mobile
networks, HLRs and VLRs, routers, switches, different types of
routers/switches such as those of MPLS, firewalls, authentication or
identity-management servers, etc. In addition, these virtual machines
can be partitioned so they execute on several physical machines in
parallel.
We can appreciate the importance of the Cloud and associated
datacenters, because they are placed where the processing power is
available at a relatively low cost, as is the memory space needed to
store the virtual machines and a whole range of information pertaining
to the networks, clients and processing algorithms. The tendency with
server virtualization is to focus on huge datacenters, but with the help
of distribution, we are seeing smaller and smaller datacenters.
1.4. Conclusion
Virtualization is the fundamental property of the new generation of
networks, where we make the move from hardware to software.
Whilst there is a noticeable reduction in performance at the start, it is
compensated by more powerful, less costly physical machines.
Nonetheless, the opposite move to virtualization is crucial: that of
www.it-ebooks.info