What does virtualization has to do on networking?

chapapa

Is virtualization important in networking? why?

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NinjaBoy

Why are you referring to?

The virtualized networking component with hyper visors (eg Virtual Switch or vSwitch) or are you talking about virtual networking like virtual switching system (VSS)?

DevilWAH

Personally I think Visualization is more advanced on the network than it is in there server world.

In networking you have things like VSS and switch stacks, where you have multiply physical devices acting as a single logical device.

Then you have VLAN's and VRF where you split a single physical device in to multiply logical devices.

HSRP/VRRP/GLBP and other redundant protocols to abstract the connectivity from the physical device.

and then you can even look at routing protocols as a form of visualization, no one physical device holds all the information, but a logical network or routes is overlayed on top of many physical devices.

Of course do you mean virtual network devices, like the distributed switches in VMware, and the CISCO Nexus virtual switchs you can run on vmware?

There is a lot of different types of virtulation in networking and its been around a long time now.

chapapa

I didn't expect it to be that broad. lol I'm just curious about virtualization that is why I asked

Essendon

It's the other way around. Networking is very important in virtualization. If you cant route right, you might as well not route at all.

You've asked a broad, open-ended question and got a response in kind!

NetworkVeteran

Yup. You aren't going to need a VMware certification anytime soon if you're a network engineer, but virtualization certainly pops up in many contexts to help us improve and simplify our networks. DevilWAH provided several good examples.

chapapa

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Yup. You aren't going to need a VMware certification anytime soon if you're a network engineer, but virtualization certainly pops up in many contexts to help us improve and simplify our networks. DevilWAH provided several good examples.

thank you for this info, I thought you need a VMware certification when you want to be a network engineer

NinjaBoy

chapapa wrote: »

thank you for this info, I thought you need a VMware certification when you want to be a network engineer

Na, you don't even need a Cisco cert either

chapapa

NinjaBoy wrote: »

Na, you don't even need a Cisco cert either

what I mean it can help you boost your credentials. hehe.

NetworkVeteran

chapapa wrote: »

what I mean it can help you boost your credentials. hehe.

The rule tends to be, at smaller companies a basic, broad knowledge of many areas is best, while at large companies an advanced knowledge of one area is best. As with any rule, there's the occasional exception, but it's rare that a knowledge of VMware would help me do my job better since my focus is on networking and there are others to do server work.

DevilWAH

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

The rule tends to be, at smaller companies a basic, broad knowledge of many areas is best, while at large companies an advanced knowledge of one area is best. As with any rule, there's the occasional exception, but it's rare that a knowledge of VMware would help me do my job better since my focus is on networking and there are others to do server work.

VMware is one area I keep my hand into, when i was getting in to networking I played a bit with VMware and still do a bit today. if you ignore the actual guest servers, vmware infrastructure is a fun topic. A lot of data centers are starting to pull the network into the vmware infrastructure, where the switch idea is abstracted from the hardware. I would rather deal with the network configuration of VMware my than leave it to the server guys. I kind of see it in the same way as a physical switch, my job ends at the access port they are plugging there server in to. If the switches are virtual, then I want to be the one configuring them and be involved in the design of that part of the network to.

NetworkVeteran

DevilWAH wrote: »

VMware is one area I keep my hand into, when i was getting in to networking I played a bit with VMware and still do a bit today.

That sounds like a solid way to handle having a background in VMWare before getting into networking. We all play to our strengths, and if I had that background, I might leverage it in a similar way! My choice of demarcation point would be that the server is correctly sending messages to the network. E.g., if NPIV or their fabric login indicated a misconfiguration I'd tell them they need to reconfigure the server per my specs. After clarifying the line of demarcation, I do provide limited hints as to how to fix it, if I have any ideas. After all, we're all on the same side even if we wear different hats. Then again, I'm more often active in the carrier space.

DevilWAH

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

After all, we're all on the same side even if we wear different hats. Then again, I'm more often active in the carrier space.

THE SAME SIDE!!! Never!! I would rather die than help those animals