the future of cloud networking is vmware nsx (danish vmug edition)

© 2014 VMware Inc. All rights reserved.

Scott Lowe, VCDXEngineering Architect

3 April 2014

The Future of Cloud Networking is VMware NSX

CONFIDENTIAL

Before we begin

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• This presentation will be available after the event

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Who is this guy?• VCDX #39• Six-time vExpert• Author, speaker, blogger• Works in the CTO office of the

Networking & Security Business Unit

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I know “cloud networking” sounds like...

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...but this is cloud washing!

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Networking in the era of cloud computingWhy the term “cloud networking” isn’t just marketing-speak

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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

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What does this mean for networking in cloud environments?

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What does this mean for cloud networking?

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Five essentials of cloud 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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Components of a cloud networking platformLooking at what is needed to build a platform to address the needs of cloud networking

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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L2

L3

Virtual Network

L2

What’s in a cloud networking platform?

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L2

L3

Virtual Network

L2

What’s in a cloud networking platform?

CMP

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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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Examining VMware NSXHow VMware NSX addresses the needs of cloud networking

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Peeling back the covers a bit

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• 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 (multi-hypervisor only)

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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

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VMware NSX management, control, and data planes

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vCD/vCAC

vCenter Server NSX Manager

Management Plane

Control Plane

NSX Edge Distributed

Router Controller

Data Plane

NSX Edge Services Router

VXLAN DR DFW Security VXLAN DR DFW Security VXLAN DR DFW Security

vSphere API

REST API vSphere API

Control Plane Protocol

vSph

ere

AP

I

REST API

Control Plane Protocol

Mes

sage

Bus

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“It’s our network upgrade plan... Or we could virtualize

it.”

Questions & answers

Thank youScott Loweslowe@vmware.com@scott_lowe (Twitter)http://blog.scottlowe.org

Colossians 3:17 NIV