Effects of virtualization and cloud computing on data center networks

Figure 7: Multichannel capabilities let vSwitch (VEB) and VEPA modes co-exist in the same server platform.

HP Virtual Connect

One of the ways to optimize the server edge for E/W traffic flow is by implementing HP Virtual

Connect technology. Virtual Connect is a set of interconnect modules and embedded software for HP

BladeSystem c- Class enclosures that provides server-edge and I/O virtualization. It delivers direct

server-to-server connectivity within an enclosure—especially important for the latency sensitive,

bandwidth-intensive applications that we’ve been discussing. For example, as described in the Client

Virtualization section, using BladeSystem with Virtual Connect lets you design an infrastructure that

can optimize network traffic without leaving the enclosure.

Using Flex-10 technology with FlexFabric adapters lets you consolidate multiple network

connections—data and storage traffic—onto a single 10 Gb Ethernet pipe. This lets you reduce the

number of physical adapters, cables, switches, and required ports at the server edge.

You can also use stacking links with the VC Ethernet modules to allow all server NICs in the Virtual

Connect domain to have access to any VC-Ethernet uplink port. Using these module-to-module links, a

single pair of uplinks serves as the network connections for the entire Virtual Connect domain. This

reduces the core switch traffic, because internal communication stays inside the Virtual Connect

domain. The stacking links provide high-speed connections between the enclosures that you can

adjust by adding more physical links to the stack. You can increase the server-edge bandwidth by

using the stacking links between Virtual Connect modules.

HP Intelligent Resilient Framework

HP Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) is an HP-developed switch virtualization technology that

simplifies network architectures:

• Aggregates multiple physical devices to operate as a single logical device

• Virtualizes and distributes L2 and L3 functions

• Delivers high performance by using all available links