Network and data center virtualization offer today's IT organizations immense opportunities to reduce costs, improve agility, and drive business value. But the field is evolving at a breakneck pace: many decision-makers and implementers are struggling to understand and choose among the options now available to them. This book will cover both the "how" and the "why" of network virtualization. You'll learn how it works, which technologies comprise it, where to find your best opportunities to gain value, and how to leverage it your own enterprise. Replete with use cases and specific examples, VMware Network Virtualization offers unprecedented insight into how network virtualization works in the context of the datacenter. Coverage includes: * The history, evolution, status, and future of Virtual Networking and Software Defined Networks * Prerequisites and preparations for effective network virtualization * Using next-generation data center network design to improve scale, availability, resiliency, and performance * The rise of the virtual data center: reducing equipment and management costs, while improving user experience * Key characteristics of the Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) * Using network virtualization to provide secure, efficient application access across organizations and functions * Migrating workloads without changing IP addresses or networks * VMware technologies for network virtualization: vSphere, vCNS, NVP, CloudStack, vCloud Director and more * Architectural considerations: public/private clouds, IaaS, and hybrid tenancy * Automation and integration opportunities

Table of Contents

Part 1. Virtual Networking 0. Introducing the Technology 1. The History of Virtual Networking and Software Defined Network 2. Network Virtualization Defined 3. Next Generation Data Center Network Design 4. The Rise of the Virtual Data Center 5. Use Cases Part 2. VMware Technology Landscape 6. vSphere Network Fundamentals 7 vCNS and NVP Product Architecture 8. Network Virtualization Architectural Considerations 9. Automation and Integration for Network Virtualization