Announcing VMware NSX+: A Simpler Path to Consistent Multi-Cloud Networking
Deploying applications on multi-cloud infrastructure is challenging. VMware has long been committed to making multi-cloud networking and security simpler and more consistent through initiatives like Project Northstar which we announced at VMware Explore last year.
Today, we’re excited to continue our mission of simplifying the multi-cloud by introducing VMware NSX+, a new multi-cloud service offering for VMware NSX that makes it easier than ever to achieve a consistent and secure multi-cloud infrastructure for your applications.
Multi-cloud presents unique networking and security challenges
Securely deploying applications and infrastructure on-premises and across multiple clouds is complex
- Complex network design and operations: Each cloud can have its own set of tools and controls, slowing down network deployment and operations.
- Limited visibility: Network operators often cannot achieve the end-to-end visibility and monitoring across clouds.
- Secure Controls for Threat Detection: Lack of visibility into cross-cloud traffic increases the risk of lateral movement of undetected threats. Also, correlating threats across multiple clouds can be challenging because of the diversity of cloud environments.
- Skills and resource gap: Public cloud providers have their own unique networking constructs and architectures, making it challenging to bridge the skills gap, and hire and train a team equipped to manage the complexity of Continue reading
Self Service Consumption with Virtual Private Clouds Powered by NSX
How cloud consumption is making its way natively into NSX and NSX+
We are excited to introduce Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) for private clouds and VMware Clouds, with the release of NSX 4.1.1.
Thanks to NSX Network Virtualization, customers can operate their networking, security, and services from a single place through the UI or API. This functionality allows one-click deployment of multi-tier network topologies, backed by distributed networking and security. The software-defined networking solution enables large-scale, self-service IaaS initiatives.
In addition, the introduction of native multi-tenancy in NSX 4.1.0 allows multiple users to consume the platform in parallel without the risk of overlap or disruption. This makes it possible to provide users with direct access to NSX, but to segment each within isolated environments where they can configure their own NSX objects and apply rules only to their workloads.
Now we are taking it to the next level!
With the introduction of VPC in both NSX and NSX+, we are both extending the multi-tenancy framework and offering cloud consumption to users natively, both on-premises and in VMware Cloud. Customers can apply the VPC construct on the cloud/s of their choice with efficient and consistent operations. This Continue reading
Delivering a True Cloud Operating Model with Cloud Speed: NSX+ Innovates for Multi-Cloud
Companies in every geography and industry have had the fortune, in recent years, to choose from a variety of remarkable cloud platforms to run their applications—including on-prem private cloud, VMware clouds, and native public clouds. In fact, 83% of organizations surveyed by VMware have their application workloads distributed across multiple cloud environments1.
But every major technological advancement creates new challenges and opportunities. IT leaders have been telling me that they need a true cloud operating model across multi-cloud to address two key challenges:
- First, they’re stuck in partial automation purgatory. It takes their siloed teams many IT tickets to set up security, networking, and load-balancing services to deploy an application. This isn’t just operationally inefficient, it breeds friction between the infrastructure and application owners.
- Second, operating across multi-cloud environments is complicated. Teams lack consistent visibility, policy, and operations across cloud deployments. This causes change management nightmares, security blind spots, and unprecedented delays in troubleshooting issues.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Today, I’m proud to share that VMware is taking a significant step towards making a single cloud operating model for managing and securing networks a reality through our launch of NSX+. Our Continue reading
Engagement Farming
One of my readers asked for my opinion about the following masterpiece posted on (where else) LinkedIn1:
Engagement Farming
One of my readers asked for my opinion about the following masterpiece posted on (where else) LinkedIn1:
How to Clean Network Firewall Rules in Four Steps
By fine-tuning firewall rules, enterprises can ensure that their firewall remains effective in maintaining a secure posture and protecting their networks.Application Security Report: Q2 2023
Cloudflare has a unique vantage point on the Internet. From this position, we are able to see, explore, and identify trends that would otherwise go unnoticed. In this report we are doing just that and sharing our insights into Internet-wide application security trends.
This report is the third edition of our Application Security Report. The first one was published in March 2022, with the second published earlier this year in March, and this is the first to be published on a quarterly basis.
Since the last report, our network is bigger and faster: we are now processing an average of 46 million HTTP requests/second and 63 million at peak. We consistently handle approximately 25 million DNS queries per second. That's around 2.1 trillion DNS queries per day, and 65 trillion queries a month. This is the sum of authoritative and resolver requests served by our infrastructure. Summing up both HTTP and DNS requests, we get to see a lot of malicious traffic. Focusing on HTTP requests only, in Q2 2023 Cloudflare blocked an average of 112 billion cyber threats each day, and this is the data that powers this report.
But as usual, before we dive in, Continue reading
An August reading list about online security and 2023 attacks landscape
In 2023, cybersecurity continues to be in most cases a need-to-have for those who don’t want to take chances on getting caught in a cyberattack and its consequences. Attacks have gotten more sophisticated, while conflicts (online and offline, and at the same time) continue, including in Ukraine. Governments have heightened their cyber warnings and put together strategies, including around critical infrastructure (including health and education). All of this, at a time when there were never so many online risks, but also people online — over five billion in July 2023, 64.5% of the now eight billion that are the world’s total population.
Here we take a look at what we’ve been discussing in 2023, so far, in our Cloudflare blog related to attacks and online security in general, with several August reading list suggestions. From new trends, products, initiatives or partnerships, including AI service safety, to record-breaking blocked cyberattacks. On that note, our AI hub (ai.cloudflare.com) was just launched.
Throughout the year, Cloudflare has continued to onboard customers while they were being attacked, and we have provided protection to many others, including once.net, responsible for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest online voting system Continue reading
Network Break 443: Nuclear DCs, Mobile Cars, Fibrechannel, Open Source And Cheese
We’ve got more durm and strang in open source license debate, cars that don't work wihtout a network, something mumble something Fibrechannel, a security acquisition by Check Point, cheesy microchips and more.
The post Network Break 443: Nuclear DCs, Mobile Cars, Fibrechannel, Open Source And Cheese appeared first on Packet Pushers.
Network Break 443: Nuclear DCs, Mobile Cars, Fibrechannel, Open Source And Cheese
We’ve got more durm and strang in open source license debate, cars that don't work wihtout a network, something mumble something Fibrechannel, a security acquisition by Check Point, cheesy microchips and more.netlab 1.6.1: BGP Reports, Markdown Support
We added just a few small features in netlab release 1.6.11:
- Markdown reports: netlab report command can produce Markdown-formatted reports, making it extremely easy to include them in your documentation (assuming you’re using Markdown to write it)
- If you’re using BGP in your labs, you can generate reports on BGP autonomous systems and BGP neighbors.
- I made locations of default files configurable. I’m using this feature in large projects where I want to have a shared set of project-wide defaults for topologies stored in different directories.
netlab 1.6.1: BGP Reports, Markdown Support
We added just a few small features in netlab release 1.6.11:
- Markdown reports: netlab report command can produce Markdown-formatted reports, making it extremely easy to include them in your documentation (assuming you’re using Markdown to write it)
- If you’re using BGP in your labs, you can generate reports on BGP autonomous systems and BGP neighbors.
- I made locations of default files configurable. I’m using this feature in large projects where I want to have a shared set of project-wide defaults for topologies stored in different directories.
Building a VXLAN Lab Using Nexus9000v
As I dive into the world of VXLAN, I will need a lab as that is the best way to deepen the learning process and to get hands-on experience with a protocol. I will be building a Cisco Nexus9000v lab in VMware ESX but the same images can be used in CML, EveNG, GNS3, etc. The lab is based on the following topology:
The specific platform I’ll use is the Nexus9300v which has the following requirements:
- 1 vCPU (2 recommended).
- 10 GB of RAM (12 GB recommended).
Note that there is also a Nexus9500v image which is a 16-slot modular chassis. As I have no need for multiple slots, and it requires more CPUs, I will not be using this image.
The specific image I am using is nexus9300v64.10.2.5.M.ova, which is NX-OS version 10.2.5.
Deploying the OVA can take some time but is otherwise straightforward. Refer to my post on caveats for more details.
I have mapped the different NICs to different port groups:
The mgmt0 interface is mapped to my management network so that I can SSH to the devices. I have also created specific port groups for the interconnections between leaf Continue reading