Inside the Core: What's New in VCF 9

Summary

In this video, the speaker delves into the integration of VPC and networking capabilities within cloud environments, focusing on Kubernetes workloads and automation. The discussion highlights a new data path in NSX, increasing throughput by 3x, offering significant performance improvements for high-traffic networking. Emphasis is placed on innovation in core infrastructure while ensuring that the latest features and policies are integrated seamlessly for users. The session aims to clear misconceptions about cloud technologies, providing a detailed yet accessible look at how advancements improve operational efficiency.

Takeaways

• 😀 VPC integration into the automation layer allows users to provision workloads in a similar manner to public cloud platforms like AWS.
• 😀 The VPC setup enables provisioning of VMs within specific VPCs for efficient workload management in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).
• 😀 Future potential exists for the development of policies and advanced features built on top of VPC integration in VCF.
• 😀 Networking innovations are focused on increasing performance and throughput, specifically through a new data path and switch technology in NSX.
• 😀 The new NSX data path can improve network throughput by up to 3x, significantly enhancing network performance for high-traffic workloads.
• 😀 VMware is focusing on optimizing the core infrastructure while integrating advanced networking capabilities to support scalable workloads.
• 😀 The discussion highlights VMware's commitment to continuous innovation in their networking stack for modern cloud environments.
• 😀 The improvements in NSX aim to resolve previous performance limits in networking, particularly for environments requiring high data throughput.
• 😀 The integration of core infrastructure and networking features ensures a seamless experience for customers provisioning and managing workloads.
• 😀 VMware's focus is on creating an ecosystem where users can automate and provision workloads efficiently while benefiting from enhanced networking performance.
• 😀 The discussion dispels misconceptions about VMware, showing their detailed technical approach to core infrastructure, beyond just broad cloud terms.

Q & A

What is the main focus of VCF9?

VCF9 focuses on integrating compute, storage, networking, and automation into one product, providing a unified user experience for customers.

How does the new memory tearing feature in VCF9 work?

Memory tearing in VCF9 offloads underused memory pages to NVMe devices, increasing memory efficiency and allowing more VMs to run on the same hardware, reducing overall costs.

What kind of cost savings can customers expect with memory tearing in VCF9?

Customers can expect cost savings ranging from 35% to 40%, and in some cases, even 50%, depending on the workload, as it allows for more VMs per host and reduces hardware requirements.

How is VCF9 addressing security concerns related to data privacy?

VCF9 introduces 'Confidential Compute,' which encrypts both data at rest and in-memory data, ensuring a secure runtime environment, which is crucial for highly sensitive workloads.

What is the performance impact of the memory tearing feature?

The performance overhead of the memory tearing feature is minimal, typically less than 10%, ensuring that customers can benefit from more efficient memory use without significant performance penalties.

What improvements have been made in VSAN ESA in VCF9?

VCF9 introduces global deduplication across entire clusters in VSAN ESA, which significantly reduces storage needs, providing cost savings and improving overall TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

How does the new data path in NSX improve networking performance in VCF9?

The new data path in NSX increases throughput by 3x, which provides significant improvements for high-traffic applications, enabling better network performance and scalability.

What is the role of Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) in VCF9?

VPC in VCF9 creates isolated environments for VMs, providing a secure and autonomous network setup. It integrates directly with vCenter, allowing administrators to create and manage VPCs without needing to coordinate with network teams.

What new capabilities does VPC integration bring to automation in VCF9?

With VPC integrated into VCF9’s automation layer, customers can provision workloads and VMs within a VPC using API or UI tools, similar to how workloads are provisioned in public cloud environments like AWS.

What does the integration of VPC into vCenter mean for VMware administrators?

The integration of VPC into vCenter allows VMware administrators to easily create and manage isolated network domains for workloads without requiring external network configurations or intervention, streamlining network management.