Abstract, Automate & Secure — From Data Center to Cloud to Edge

By Milin Desai, Vice President of Products, NSBU

It feels like only yesterday when we started our journey into networking at VMware. Even from the early beginnings in 2011, it became clear to some of us that the abstraction and operations model of virtualization for compute and memory, which completely transformed the modern data center, was something we needed to extend to networking. We understood that that a network based on software and abstraction in the long run would extend beyond our customers’ data centers to public clouds and ultimately to the Edge.

We’ve been executing on this vision for almost eight years; reinventing data center networking and enabling our customers to be smarter about how they secure, manage and connect their applications and users.

Starting with the Data Center

The Nicira acquisition, alongside our internal innovations, resulted in the release of VMware NSX in 2013. VMware NSX made network virtualization a mainstream possibility for the data center. The goal was simple — abstract the application from the physical network and deliver the networking attributes in software at machine speeds. After four years, multiple thousands of customers and the creation of a billion-dollar run rate business, we have transformed the Continue reading

Introducing oVirt 4.2.0 Beta

On October 31st, the oVirt project released version 4.2.0 Beta, available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4, CentOS Linux 7.4, or similar.

Since the release of oVirt 4.2.0 Alpha a month ago, a substantial number of stabilization fixes have been introduced.

What's new in this release?

Support for LLDP, a protocol for network devices for advertising identity and capabilities to neighbors on a LAN. LLDP information can now be displayed in both the UI and via the API. The information gathered by the protocol can be used for better network configuration.

oVirt 4.2.0 Beta features Gluster 3.12.

oVirt's hyperconverged solution now enables a single replica Gluster deployment.

OVN (Open Virtual Network) is now fully supported and recommended for isolated overlay networks. OVN is automatically deployed on the the host, and made available for VM connectivity.

Snapshots can now be uploaded and downloaded via the REST API (and the SDKs).

An improvement has been introduced to the self-hosted engine. Now, the self-hosted-engine will connect to all IPs discovered, allowing both higher performance via multiple paths as well as high availability in the event that one of the targets fails.

A new Continue reading

Where Does Automation Fit into Enterprise IT?

One of my readers coming from system development area asked a fundamental question about the role of automation in enterprise IT (somewhat paraphrased):

[In system development] we automate typical tasks from the pre-defined task repository, so I would like to understand broader context as the automation (I guess) is just a part of the change we want to do in the system. Someone needs to decide what to do, someone needs to accept the change and finally the automation is used.

Of course he’s absolutely right.

Read more ...

Docker Networking Tip – Troubleshooting

Debugging Container and Docker Networking issues can be daunting at first considering that containers do not contain any debug tools inside the container. I normally see a lot of questions around Docker networking issues in Docker and stackoverflow forum. All the usual networking tools can be used to debug Docker networking, it is just that … Continue reading Docker Networking Tip – Troubleshooting →

PTT – Push To Talk

When was the last time you were looking for the unmute button in Webex and it took you more than two seconds to find it?

When was the last time you thought you are on mute but actually everyone can hear you snore?

I spend a lot of time in conference calls. This mute thing happens to me a lot.

PTT stands for Push To Talk like we used in walkie-talkies. The computer mic would be normally muted and as long as I press the PTT button, it will unmute the mic.

I couldn't find any such off the shelf device, so I decided to create one on my own.

To do so I had to integrate few components. Here is the flow of things:

When I press a button on my special device, it will send the key combination of "PrintScreen+F11". Then a special program called AutoHotKey will intercept that key combination and execute an application I wrote that controls the computer mic.

The PTT button


I am using an Arduino like microcontroller called Teensy LC. I value my time and my money, and there is nothing better than the Teensy line of microcontrollers which are very powerful, Arduino Continue reading

AMD rumored to double server core count on Epyc chip

AMD has staged quite the comeback with its Zen architecture, sold under the Ryzen brand for desktops and Epyc brand for server processors. After years as an also-ran, the Zen architecture is showing true competitiveness with Intel’s best, and at a far cheaper price tag.AMD just introduced its Epyc server processor line as the successor to its Opteron brand, but it is already reportedly working on the next wave of chips. Canard PC Hardware, a French hardware site with a good track record of accuracy, claims to have obtained specifications for AMD's next generation of Epyc processors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

AMD rumored to double server core count on Epyc chip

AMD has staged quite the comeback with its Zen architecture, sold under the Ryzen brand for desktops and Epyc brand for server processors. After years as an also-ran, the Zen architecture is showing true competitiveness with Intel’s best, and at a far cheaper price tag.AMD just introduced its Epyc server processor line as the successor to its Opteron brand, but it is already reportedly working on the next wave of chips. Canard PC Hardware, a French hardware site with a good track record of accuracy, claims to have obtained specifications for AMD's next generation of Epyc processors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco aims to simplify multi-cloud deployments

One general rule of thumb I have with respect to technology deployments is that the solution to a problem should be simpler than the original problem itself. Unfortunately, we often forget that in IT and have significantly more problems after implementing a solution than we did before. Virtualization is a great example of this. Early in the rise of VMware, server admins would often tell me that the number of virtual machines and complexity was significantly higher than it was pre-server consolidation. Eventually, the good folks at VMware built vCenter, and it brought some manageability to large VMware shops.Also on Network World: 6 steps for a future-ready cloud storage strategy The same thing can be said for cloud computing. Many businesses adopt cloud so they can simplify and speed up development cycles. If all the company did was shift all of their on-premises data, compute cycles and development tools to a single cloud provider, it might indeed make things simpler.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IT supplier learns new moves thanks to IoT

Tech Data may walk softly in terms of public perception – the Florida-based company isn’t exactly a household name – but it carries a big stick in the IT industry. It’s one of the biggest distributors and resellers out there, partnering with the majority of the biggest names in technology and boasting net sales of more than $26 billion in its last full financial year.Yet even major players like Tech Data have to bend to the new realities of the technology industry. We caught up with Michelle Curtis, director of IoT solutions at Tech Data, at a Microsoft IoT event in Boston on Monday.+ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: After virtualization and cloud, what’s left on premises? + Internet of things definitions: A handy guide to essential IoT termsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Checklists

Thirty-six seconds after launch, lightning struck the Apollo 12 and its six million pounds of high explosive fuel. The instruments blacked out. Twenty-two seconds later lightning struck again. What few instruments remained started flashing red failure lights. The “you’re about to die” alarm started blaring. Over the radio the crew heard the voice of John Aaron: “Flight, try SCE to Aux.” Astronaut Alan Bean flipped the tiny switch immediately. —Jonathan Solórzano-Hamilton @ Free Code Camp

IDG Contributor Network: Why you should consider open source IoT solutions

The society-wide adoption of the Internet of Things into our everyday business and cultural lives has left many company’s scrambling to find the best fit for the IoT in their businesses. Most of them have encountered serious trouble; choosing which IoT platform is right for you is no easy job, and the complexities of your decision can sometimes seem overwhelming.Considering an open source IoT solution to your company’s problems can help alleviate some of the burdens brought on by this decision. A quick review of how open source IoT solutions stand to benefit you without breaking the bank shows why this route may be the go-to option for IoT practitioners in the future.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Making sense of the SD-WAN business case

As enterprises finalize budgets for 2018, a common question in IT departments is how to budget for the implementation of SD-WAN technology. The fact that these conversations are even happening is noteworthy in itself; this is a technology that has gone from being a curiosity 18 months ago to a top-5 initiative for many IT teams in recent months.There are many variations between SD-WAN vendors and service providers on what the technology offers, how it’s paid for, and how the business case stacks up. Here are a few items to consider:For most enterprises, SD-WAN savings are based on transport savings One of the headline benefits of SD-WAN that attract most enterprises is the prospect of significant savings. This can mean many things, but the bulk of these savings typically comes from replacing private MPLS connectivity with Internet-based services, and using SD-WAN to glue these together. Internet “may” be poorer quality (more on that later), and may not have performance guarantees, but the path performance tracking and steering capabilities of SD-WAN can work around these limitations. This may be the case, but it isn’t universal:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Making sense of the SD-WAN business case

As enterprises finalize budgets for 2018, a common question in IT departments is how to budget for the implementation of SD-WAN technology. The fact that these conversations are even happening is noteworthy in itself; this is a technology that has gone from being a curiosity 18 months ago to a top-5 initiative for many IT teams in recent months.There are many variations between SD-WAN vendors and service providers on what the technology offers, how it’s paid for, and how the business case stacks up. Here are a few items to consider:For most enterprises, SD-WAN savings are based on transport savings One of the headline benefits of SD-WAN that attract most enterprises is the prospect of significant savings. This can mean many things, but the bulk of these savings typically comes from replacing private MPLS connectivity with Internet-based services, and using SD-WAN to glue these together. Internet “may” be poorer quality (more on that later), and may not have performance guarantees, but the path performance tracking and steering capabilities of SD-WAN can work around these limitations. This may be the case, but it isn’t universal:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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