Simplified, High-Performance 10GbE Networks Based on a Single Virtual Distributed Switch, Managed by VMware* vSphere 5.1

Simplied, High-Performance 10GbE Networks
Based on a Single Virtual Distributed Switch,
Managed by VMware vSphere* 5.1
New capabilities in VMware vSphere* provide manageability advantages that enhance the performance,
simplicity, and exibility advantages associated with large-scale 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks. By
making it easier to congure and manage network bandwidth by trafc type, this approach avoids
inefciencies associated with static allocations patterned after older Gigabit Ethernet topologies.
VMware vSphere 5.1 can support up to eight physical 10GbE
ports, which helps to take advantage of the processing headroom
of servers based on the Intel® Xeon® processor E5-2600 product
family. As a capability of vSphere, those ports can provide up
to four Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapters, eight iSCSI
adapters, and four VMware vMotion* paths. Managing these
types of large-scale resources in the VMware environment is
dramatically simplied using features that are available only
from vSphere Enterprise Plus, including the VMware vSphere
Distributed Switch (VDS).
In prior versions of vSphere, the virtual network had to be
congured using multiple VMware vSphere Standard Switches
(VSSs, vSwitches), which involves far more complexity, making
costly human error more likely. Moreover, the use of multiple
VSSs involves the static allocation of bandwidth, which reduces
exibility and adds the risk that bandwidth will be misallocated,
reducing network-resource utilization and negatively impacting
performance. Using a single VDS dramatically simplies
implementation, while VMware vCenter Server dynamically
monitors and manages physical and virtual bandwidth.
This paper describes the advantages of dynamically allocating
virtualized network resources using VDSs and VMware vCenter
Server. It provides guidance to network architects, CTOs, and
other decision makers at medium-sized to large organizations in
planning implementations of vSphere 5.1, with a focus on Intel®
Xeon® processor-based servers and Intel Ethernet Converged
Network Adapters. The paper’s main sections are as follows:
• Overview: Evolution of Virtual Switches to Enhance Efficiency
and Performance describes the transformations in the data
center associated with the development of the VSS and the VDS.
• Software Entities at the Heart of the Virtualized Network
discusses how software constructs such as virtual NICs, virtual
switches, and port groups form the basis of virtual network
architecture.
• Superior Traffic Management with VDS-based Networking
describes the benefits of using the VDS as the basis for
automated resource allocation to replace older methods based
on static segmentation.
• Management and Security for Virtual Networks and the
Cloud describes VMware tools built to provide distributed
management and security functionality across virtualized
networks and cloud infrastructures.
1 Executive Summary
Early virtualization models used large numbers of Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE) connections, patterned after the older approaches
previously used in non-virtualized networks. During the transition to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), network architects attempted
to continue that model by carving up 10GbE ports into multiple smaller ports to control bandwidth and allocate bandwidth to the
different virtual infrastructure trafc types. That approach created limitations in terms of scalability and made the environment
inexible and overly complex. With the introduction of VMware vSphere* 5.1, dynamic management of the entire physical and virtual
network infrastructure from a single pane of glass addresses those limitations, using VMware vCenter* Server (formerly VMware
VirtualCenter*), which is part of vSphere.
The VMware vSphere environment implements new capabilities for virtual networking that take advantage of the virtualization
features built into Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapters. This combination of technologies enables greater exibility from
the virtual networking environment, resulting in dynamic balancing of resources to optimize performance, while maintaining high
availability (HA) and quality of service (QoS).
TECHNOLOGY BRIEF
Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2600 Product Family
Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter Family
VMware vSphere* 5.1