Essential Guide
Stay connected with tips and trends in vSphere networking
Introduction
The data center of today has more strain put on its network as virtual desktop infrastructures, mobile devices and cloud services grow in popularity.
As more devices and users get connected and even more servers are virtualized, the vSphere network needs administrators with the troubleshooting know-how to remove roadblocks quickly when network traffic slows to a crawl.
VMware's vSphere Standard Switch and vSphere Distributed Switch are two ways to route traffic; administrators who have expertise with these switches can tweak their systems for better performance and more security around virtual machines. For multi-tenant cloud providers or large enterprises that require even greater flexibility and protection, VMware came out with its NSX network virtualization offering that infuses functionality, such as a distributed firewall, into the hypervisor.
This guide shares troubleshooting tips and informative articles that cover the latest in networking in a vSphere infrastructure.
1Clearing communication clogs-
Correcting connections
When network performance is lagging or virtual machines cannot talk to hosts, it takes a certain set of skills and troubleshooting chops to uncover the cause in today's multifaceted virtual environments.
Overhaul vSphere configuration to head off issues
Older VMware shops with outdated settings in vSphere can benefit from improved network behavior with a few adjustments. Continue Reading
How to improve virtual security using the border router
Filtering potentially dangerous traffic from entering and sensitive data from leaving the data center can give the added benefit of better overall system performance. Continue Reading
Isolate VMkernel to protect network performance
These troubleshooting steps can determine whether a faulty configuration is causing congestion. Continue Reading
Avoid slow VM migrations by adding a virtual switch
Administrators looking for the best protection and performance should avoid the default networking configuration. Continue Reading
Performance charts help uncover timeout problems
Performance counters in the vSphere client can show when packet loss is happening to help pinpoint timeout issues. Continue Reading
Best practices might not always be the right path
Commonly misconfigured areas in vSphere can result in reduced availability or poor VM performance. Continue Reading
Source of dropped packets requires detective work
Using a Linux or a Windows guest operating system in the VM means different approaches to fix high packet loss. Continue Reading
Correcting host access issues with an XP VM on Fusion
When running the Fusion hypervisor, there are two ways to give an XP VM access to the Mac host. Continue Reading
2The basic option-
Working with the vSphere Standard Switch
Despite the word "standard" in its name, the vSphere Standard Switch features plenty of functionality to route traffic in the data center and keep data moving in the right direction.
How to manage a vSphere Standard Switch
Don't let the name fool you. The vSS has plenty of functions to help shape network traffic. Continue Reading
Factors to consider with the standard switch
An expert says there are a few instances when the vSS is preferred to the vSphere Distributed Switch. Continue Reading
How the vSphere Standard Switch differs from the vSphere Distributed Switch
Our expert describes the differences between VMware's two switch options. Continue Reading
Expert Guide: Most popular articles from SearchVMware.com
Due to popular demand, our editors have put together this complimentary 32-page guide highlighting some of our most visited and most useful – as chosen by your peers – SearchVMware articles so far this year.
3More advanced features-
Stepping up to the vSphere Distributed Switch
The vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) comes with the vSphere Enterprise Plus license. The enhanced functionality of vDS offers more visibility to the network along with centralized administration to simplify operations.
Keep VMs running during a switch transition
Trying to avoid downtime in a networking change? There are a few steps required to avoid interruptions in service. Continue Reading
Automate the management of virtual distributed switches
With PowerCLI 5.5, VMware put in additional cmdlets to give administrators another option to work with vDSes. Continue Reading
Making the switch from vSS to vDS
Replacing standard switches with vDS will provide better monitoring and networking capabilities. This advanced tip walks administrators through the process. Continue Reading
4The new frontier-
Network virtualization with NSX
VMware introduced its NSX network virtualization offering in 2013 and promoted the product as a way to bring added flexibility and security to an area that had largely remained constant for several decades. By abstracting certain network functions from hardware, NSX is a key component to VMware's vision for the software-defined data center.
What do you need to run Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
A look at the requirements for two competing network virtualization products Continue Reading
The security capabilities of NSX
In addition to making the network more flexible, VMware touts NSX as a way to keep data away from prying eyes. Continue Reading
What are some of the benefits VMware promises with NSX?
The virtualization company says freeing your physical network from its shackles will increase deployment speeds while reducing the network's complexity. Continue Reading
How Cisco and VMware approach network virtualization
VMware's method is more software based while Cisco uses a combination of hardware and software to abstract the network. Continue Reading
NSX versus Hyper-V network virtualization
Each product virtualizes Layer 3 hardware but gets plugged into the network in a different fashion. Continue Reading
NSX assists with carving out network space
The VXLAN overlay gives multi-tenant cloud providers a way to provide the segmentation required to operate their business. Continue Reading
NSX Edge gateway service handles several functions
The security and gateway services in the NSX Edge virtual machine means a company can always scale up these functions by adding more virtual machines. Continue Reading
With security in the hypervisor, micro-segmentation a core feature in NSX
The NSX 6.1 update infused more protections into the hypervisor enabling security rules to stick with virtual machines as they move around the data center. Continue Reading
How does software-defined networking differ from network virtualization?
NSX helps steer network traffic while software-defined networking deals with more with optimization of that flow. Continue Reading
Five VMware NSX 6.1 enhancements
The 6.1 update to NSX added key security, high availability and management features geared toward cloud providers. Continue Reading
Network virtualization certification track is unique
VMware released its certification track for NSX at VMworld 2014 for administrators who want to prove their expertise in this technology. Continue Reading
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