36 Software Networks
2.10. The NSX architecture
VMware is the first major company to have turned toward
virtualization. It is a software company, not a hardware company,
which explains why its NSX architecture is entirely software-based,
and relies on the hardware of the network equipment manufacturers
and on Cloud providers. The NSX architecture is represented in
Figure 2.17. This architecture, as we have just said, is completely
software-based and open, making use of Open Source software
machines. The VMware platform is essentially based on the
virtualization of the NSX architecture. This platform contains
the main networking- and control elements. On the networking side,
the machines may be level 2 or 3 routers or switches, depending
on the user requirements. On the control side, the platform contains
the basic elements with the possibility of putting virtual firewalls in
place, managing the streams to channel them along paths determined
by the load-distribution machine and by the opening of virtualized
VLANs. (Note that here, the word “virtual” appears twice
in “virtualized VLAN”: indeed, a VLAN – Virtual Local Area
Network – is a local software network that uses physical machines
which may not necessarily be located in the same place, and that local
network is, itself, situated in a virtualized universe).
The uppermost layer is formed of Cloud management systems,
which may be either VMware or Open Source software such as Open
Stack. The northbound interface is a REST-type API. The software
network part is based on datacenters, with internal virtual devices or
on physical machines from different manufacturers with which
VMware has developed partnerships. The protocol of the southbound
interface is OpenFlow, produced by Nicira, which was bought by
VMware for over a billion dollars.
The hypervisors to support the virtual machines may be of any
type, as may the physical hardware. The basic virtual device is Open
vSwitch, which was also originally developed by Nicira. It is one of
the very first virtual switches to have been available on the open
source market. Today, it is an extremely powerful switch with
numerous functions, which we shall now go on to discuss.
www.it-ebooks.info
2.10. The NSX architecture
VMware is the first major company to have turned toward
virtualization. It is a software company, not a hardware company,
which explains why its NSX architecture is entirely software-based,
and relies on the hardware of the network equipment manufacturers
and on Cloud providers. The NSX architecture is represented in
Figure 2.17. This architecture, as we have just said, is completely
software-based and open, making use of Open Source software
machines. The VMware platform is essentially based on the
virtualization of the NSX architecture. This platform contains
the main networking- and control elements. On the networking side,
the machines may be level 2 or 3 routers or switches, depending
on the user requirements. On the control side, the platform contains
the basic elements with the possibility of putting virtual firewalls in
place, managing the streams to channel them along paths determined
by the load-distribution machine and by the opening of virtualized
VLANs. (Note that here, the word “virtual” appears twice
in “virtualized VLAN”: indeed, a VLAN – Virtual Local Area
Network – is a local software network that uses physical machines
which may not necessarily be located in the same place, and that local
network is, itself, situated in a virtualized universe).
The uppermost layer is formed of Cloud management systems,
which may be either VMware or Open Source software such as Open
Stack. The northbound interface is a REST-type API. The software
network part is based on datacenters, with internal virtual devices or
on physical machines from different manufacturers with which
VMware has developed partnerships. The protocol of the southbound
interface is OpenFlow, produced by Nicira, which was bought by
VMware for over a billion dollars.
The hypervisors to support the virtual machines may be of any
type, as may the physical hardware. The basic virtual device is Open
vSwitch, which was also originally developed by Nicira. It is one of
the very first virtual switches to have been available on the open
source market. Today, it is an extremely powerful switch with
numerous functions, which we shall now go on to discuss.
www.it-ebooks.info