VMware NSX Solution Overview
S O L U T I O N O V E R V I E W / P A G E 1
What is NSX?
VMware NSX is the leading network virtualization
platform that delivers the operational model of a virtual
machine for the network. Similar to virtual machines for
compute, virtual networks are programmatically
provisioned and managed independent of underlying
hardware. NSX reproduces the entire network model in
software, enabling any network topology from simple to
complex multi-tier networks to be created and
provisioned in seconds.
What is the business proposition for Service Provider partners?
Implement network virtualization and abstract networking logic from the core hardware
Achieve hardware independence
Aggregate various underlying network resources to create single resource pool
Respond to customer networking demands in a more agile fashion
Manage networking administration via a single pane of glass
What is the value proposition for end customers?
Agility: NSX reduces the time to provision multi-tier networking and security services from weeks to minutes
allowing these services to be in lockstep with server and storage provisioning to enable applications to be
deployed faster
Micro-Segmentation: Micro-segmentation addresses fundamental, critical security issues by preventing
threats from moving laterally in the data center
Dramatically Simplified Operations: NSX abstracts virtual networks from the underlying physical network
enabling automation; operators are no longer required to interact with the physical network or the complexity
and manual configuration of VLANs, ACLs, and firewall rules making the physical network truly rack-once-wire-
once
Dynamic Extensibility: NSX is a distributed platform that enables third party services to be inserted into the
service chained as specified by application policy at run-time
Unparalleled Visibility: The NSX controller consolidates all configuration state and instrumentation data for all
network connections; operators use existing tools to create centralized view of the virtual network as well as
the mapping between virtual networks and the underlying physical network topology
Non-disruptive Deployment: NSX works with existing applications and workloads, hypervisors, cloud
management platforms and physical network hardware from any vendor
VMware NSX Solution Overview
VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Avenue Palo Alto CA 94304 USA Tel 877-486-9273 Fax 650-427-5001 www.vmware.com
Copyright © 2015 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at
http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of
their respective companies. Item No: VMW_NSX_Solution_Overview
05/15
Why use VMware NSX? The main competitor for NSX is Cisco ACI. The table below depicts the advantages of VMware NSX over Cisco ACI:
VMware NSX Cisco ACI
Delivered as 100% software, as part of the vSphere kernel Hardware & software controller
Interoperability, hypervisor Very strong for vSphere Basic for Hyper-V Strong for Xen & KVM
Strong for Hyper-V & KVM in future, basic for vSphere
Interoperability, hardware Works with any underlying physical network Dependency on Cisco Nexus 9000 only, this means the existing Cisco install base won’t be able to participate without a “rip & replace” physical change
Network logic lives in Software, kernel. Part of the vSphere kernel, painted across all hardware in the data center. Enables distributed, scalable network virtualization.
Enables distributed, scalable network virtualization. Hardware-based, ASIC & software controller. This is detrimental because ASIC development increases time-to-market.
Scalability Proven, scale-out design Eventually, traffic flows up to a hardware chokepoint. This limits scalability.
Technology family Software overlay, flexible approach that supports application network needs without modifying the underlying network. Supports any encapsulation – VXLAN, GRE, STT, future
Physical fabric; creates a dependency on a single vendor’s equipment. ACI implements VXLAN as its interior fabric protocol.
Cloud management system support
All major CMS including vCD, vCAC, OpenStack
OpenStack, UCS Director & CIAC, Microsoft System Center
Learn More NSX-V is now available as a part of the VMware vCloud Service Provider Bundle – Premier-X Plus Edition and the VMware vCloud Service Provider Bundle – Premier-X Edition. See the VMware vCloud Air Network Product Usage Guide for more details on pricing, product access, and reporting. Not a VMware Service Provider? Enroll today.
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