Network Virtualization Simplified

Summary

This video delves into network virtualization, a technology that optimizes packet movement between virtual machines (VMs). It contrasts traditional network infrastructure, which requires packets to traverse through physical servers and switches, with the efficiency of network virtualization. The latter allows packets to stay within the server, reducing the need for extensive configuration on physical network devices. The video illustrates how network virtualization simplifies the process with logical switches and routers, and uses encapsulation for efficient packet transfer, ultimately enhancing network performance and reducing administrative overhead.

Takeaways

• 🌐 **Network Virtualization Overview**: The video explains network virtualization as a continuation of the virtualization series, focusing on how it improves packet movement between virtual machines or servers.
• 📦 **Packet Movement Without Virtualization**: It demonstrates how a packet travels from one VM to another without network virtualization, involving physical network infrastructure like servers, switches, and routers.
• 🔑 **VLAN ID Importance**: The script highlights the role of VLAN IDs in distinguishing between different virtual machines and the need to configure them on both virtual and physical switches.
• 🚀 **Efficiency with Network Virtualization**: It shows that with network virtualization, packets can move directly between VMs on the same server without leaving the server, enhancing efficiency.
• 🛠️ **Configuration Simplified**: Network virtualization reduces the need to configure physical switches and routers for each new VLAN ID, simplifying network administration.
• 🔄 **Encapsulation Process**: The video describes encapsulation, a method used by hypervisors to handle packet transmission between VMs, which is a key aspect of network virtualization.
• 🌉 **Logical Switches and Routers**: It introduces logical switches and routers as virtual components that sit atop the hypervisor, abstracting the physical network infrastructure.
• 📈 **Scalability and Flexibility**: Network virtualization allows for easier scaling and flexibility when adding new VMs or creating new network segments.
• 🔄 **Decapsulation Method**: The process of decapsulation is explained, which is how the receiving hypervisor understands and processes the incoming packet after it has been encapsulated.
• 📊 **Path Reduction**: The script concludes by emphasizing the reduced path that network packets take when using virtualized infrastructure, as opposed to traditional network infrastructure.

Q & A

What is network virtualization?

Network virtualization is a technology that allows the creation of virtual networks on top of physical networks, enabling the separation of network resources and improving the efficiency of packet movement between virtual machines or servers.

How does network virtualization improve packet movement between virtual machines?

Network virtualization improves packet movement by allowing packets to be transferred directly between virtual machines on the same server without the need to traverse external switches and routers, thus reducing latency and increasing efficiency.

What is the difference between packet movement with and without network virtualization?

Without network virtualization, packets must travel from the virtual machine to the server's physical network, through switches, and potentially through a router before reaching the destination virtual machine. With network virtualization, packets can stay within the server, moving directly between virtual switches and virtual machines, bypassing external network infrastructure.

What are VLAN IDs and how do they relate to network virtualization?

VLAN IDs are identifiers used to separate different networks within the same physical switch. In network virtualization, virtual machines can be assigned to different VLAN IDs, which helps in organizing and managing network traffic within a virtualized environment.

What is the role of switches in traditional network infrastructure?

In traditional network infrastructure, switches are responsible for receiving and forwarding packets to the correct destination based on the VLAN configuration. They play a crucial role in managing network traffic and ensuring that packets reach the correct virtual machines.

How does network virtualization simplify the process of adding new virtual machines to different VLANs?

Network virtualization simplifies the process by using logical switches and routers that can be configured on top of the hypervisor, eliminating the need to configure physical switches and routers for each new VLAN ID. This reduces the administrative burden and streamlines the deployment of new virtual machines.

What is encapsulation in the context of network virtualization?

Encapsulation in network virtualization refers to the process of wrapping a network packet in a header that contains information about the destination. This allows the packet to be sent across the network without the physical switches needing to be aware of the VLAN IDs, simplifying the movement of packets between virtual machines.

How does network virtualization reduce the burden on network administrators?

Network virtualization reduces the burden on network administrators by eliminating the need to manually configure physical switches and routers for each new VLAN. It also allows for easier management and scaling of network resources as virtual machines are added or reconfigured.

What is VXLAN technology and how is it used in network virtualization?

VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) is a network virtualization technology that allows for the creation of a virtual layer 2 network over a layer 3 network. It is used for encapsulation and decapsulation of network packets, enabling efficient movement of packets between virtual machines across different physical networks.

What are the benefits of using logical switches and routers in a virtualized network infrastructure?

The benefits of using logical switches and routers include simplified network management, reduced configuration requirements for physical network devices, and the ability to move packets between virtual machines without leaving the server, thus improving performance and reducing complexity.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Network Virtualization

This paragraph introduces the concept of network virtualization as a continuation from the previous video on storage and server virtualization. It explains the inefficiency of packet movement between virtual machines without network virtualization. The host demonstrates how a packet travels from VM1 to VM12, crossing through the physical network, switch, and router, due to the VLAN IDs being different. The necessity of configuring VLAN IDs on both virtual and physical switches is highlighted, and the process is shown to be cumbersome and inefficient, setting the stage for the benefits of network virtualization.

05:02

🚀 Enhancing Packet Movement with Network Virtualization

In this paragraph, the host contrasts the traditional network infrastructure with a virtualized one. It illustrates how network virtualization simplifies the process of moving packets between virtual machines on the same server by not requiring them to leave the server. The concept of logical switches and routers is introduced as a solution to the administrative burden of configuring VLAN IDs on physical switches and routers. The host also explains the encapsulation method used by hypervisors to move packets efficiently within a virtualized network, using VMware's VXLAN technology as an example.

10:03

🔄 Benefits of Virtualized Network Infrastructure

The final paragraph emphasizes the benefits of network virtualization, particularly the reduced complexity and administrative overhead. It describes how logical switches and routers allow for efficient packet movement within the same server, eliminating the need for physical network traversal. The host also points out that with network virtualization, there is no need to configure physical switches and routers for new VLAN IDs, streamlining the process of adding new virtual machines to the network. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content by commenting and subscribing.

Keywords

💡Network Virtualization

Network virtualization refers to the process of creating virtual networks that are separate from the underlying physical network infrastructure. It allows for more efficient use of network resources and improved network management. In the video, network virtualization is discussed as a means to enhance packet movement between virtual machines, reducing the need for physical network equipment and simplifying the process of deploying new virtual networks.

💡Packet Movement

Packet movement is the process by which data packets are transmitted from one point to another within a network. The video explains how packet movement is improved through network virtualization, showing a comparison between traditional methods and the streamlined process enabled by virtualization technologies.

💡VLAN IDs

VLAN IDs (Virtual Local Area Network IDs) are identifiers used to categorize network traffic and segment a physical network into multiple virtual networks. The script mentions VLAN IDs as part of the process to identify and direct network packets to the correct virtual machine, highlighting the importance of VLAN configuration in both traditional and virtualized network setups.

💡Virtual Machines (VMs)

Virtual machines are software-based emulations of physical machines that run on a hypervisor. In the context of the video, VMs are the endpoints for network packets, and the efficiency of sending packets between them is a key focus of network virtualization. The video discusses how network virtualization can reduce the complexity of moving packets between VMs on different VLANs.

💡Physical Network Infrastructure

Physical network infrastructure refers to the tangible components of a network, such as servers, switches, and routers. The video contrasts the traditional reliance on physical infrastructure with the virtualized approach, where much of the network functionality is emulated in software, reducing the need for extensive physical equipment.

💡Encapsulation

Encapsulation in networking is the process of wrapping a data packet in a header that provides routing information. The video explains how encapsulation is used in network virtualization to direct packets between VMs, allowing for more efficient routing without the need for physical network equipment to recognize VLAN IDs.

💡Logical Switches and Routers

Logical switches and routers are virtual representations of network devices that perform the same functions as their physical counterparts but within a virtualized environment. The video describes how these logical devices are used in network virtualization to manage traffic between VMs, simplifying network configuration and reducing the administrative burden.

💡VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN)

VXLAN is a network virtualization technology that allows for the creation of a layer 2 overlay network across different subnets. The video mentions VXLAN as the technology used by VMware for encapsulation and decapsulation of network packets, facilitating efficient packet movement in a virtualized environment.

💡Server Virtualization

Server virtualization is the process of creating multiple virtual servers on a single physical server, allowing for more efficient use of server resources. While not the main focus of the video, server virtualization is mentioned as a precursor to network virtualization, setting the stage for the discussion on how network virtualization can further enhance the efficiency of virtualized environments.

💡Storage Virtualization

Storage virtualization is the pooling of storage resources from multiple devices into what appears to the user as a single storage device. Although not the main focus of the video, storage virtualization is mentioned in the introduction as part of the broader context of virtualization technologies, which also includes network virtualization.

Highlights

Introduction to network virtualization as a continuation of the virtualization series.

Demonstration of packet movement between virtual machines without network virtualization.

Explanation of the necessity for VLAN IDs in traditional network packet movement.

Illustration of how packets move through servers, switches, and routers in a non-virtualized network.

Introduction of network virtualization to improve packet movement efficiency.

Comparison of packet movement with and without network virtualization.

Discussion on how network virtualization reduces the need for physical switch and router configurations.

Introduction of logical switches and logical routers as part of the network virtualization infrastructure.

Explanation of encapsulation used by hypervisors for efficient packet transfer.

Detail on how VXLAN technology is used for encapsulation and decapsulation in VMware.

Benefits of network virtualization in reducing the complexity of adding new VLAN IDs.

Overview of how network virtualization simplifies the process of deploying new virtual machines with different VLAN IDs.

Demonstration of how logical switches and routers facilitate intra-server packet movement.

Summary of the benefits of network virtualization in reducing network packet path and eliminating the need for switch and router reconfiguration.

Conclusion of the video with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content.

Transcripts

[Music]

good morning friends

welcome back to my channel coding

environment

in the last video we saw what is storage

virtualization and what is server

virtualization

this video will be the continuation of

the last video

and the last part of the series of

virtualization

in this video we are going to see what

is network virtualization

so before we go and see what is network

virtualization

let me show you in quick how network

virtualization

improves the packet movement between the

two virtual machines

or between the two servers so let me

show you

first how the packet moves without the

network virtualization

so if i have a packet which is lying on

my virtual machine vm1

and if i want to move this network

packet from virtual machine vm1 to vm12

how the packet will move in the absence

of the network virtualization

one thing here is to note that the both

virtual machines vm1 and vm12

lies on two different vlan ids so with

the color code we can identify

that this particular virtual machine

lies on

vlan id100 and my vm12

is lying on vlan id101

so if we have to move this network

packet from virtual machine one

to virtual machine one two how this

network packet moves

so in the absence of the network

virtualization let's see how this

network pack move

from virtual machine one to virtual

machine two so to move it

first this network packet has to come

out of this virtual machine

and then go to the physical network of

this server

on which this virtual machine is

deployed now from the server

it has to go to the switch so

this is one of my switch now you can see

from virtual machine one the network

packet first

went out of this server and then went to

the uplink where my switch is installed

now in the switch also i have to

configure

vlan id 100 and 101

if you don't do this this switch will

not get to know

to which virtual machine i have to

forward this particular network packet

so if you see i have configured this

villain id100 and will an id 101

on this particular virtual switch and

also i have to configure it on my

physical switch

you can see to move this packet from my

version

1 to version machine two this network

packet went all the way down from the

virtual machine to the server and then

from the server to the switches

now with the switches it will get to

know that which will vlan

id it has to pass this network packet

but as this vlan ids are different it

has to go through the router also

once this network packet passed through

the router it will again go back to this

network switch

and then this network switch again pass

this network packet to the same server

on which that virtual machine is

deployed

it can be somewhere on this server or in

this server also

so from server it will again go to the

virtual switches and then line it to the

virtual machine vm12

so we saw that if i have to send any

network packet from version machine one

to virtual machine one two

it has to go all the way down from this

virtual switch then server

and then this uplink switch then router

and then again it will go back to the

same server and then went to the

virtual machine vm12 now if we configure

this network infrastructure

with a network virtualization

infrastructure

if i have to send this virtual machine 1

to virtual machine 1-2

in that case this network packet will

not even leave this server it will

go to this virtual switches and the

virtual switches

itself transfer this network packet from

the virtual machine one to the virtual

machine one two

we will see in detail how this network

package is going

from virtual machine one to virtual

machine one two

so this is the things which i am going

to achieve with this network

virtualization

let's see what is network virtualization

in detail

now in the previous slide we just saw

if a nato packet have to move from the

virtual machine vm1 to the virtual

machine vm2

it has to go from the virtual machine

vm1 to the

server network and then from the setup

and then from the server network

it has to go to the network switch which

is the uplink switch for this server

and the switch will decide that the

network packet has to forward it to

which server

in this case it will be forwarded in

this case it will be forwarded to the

same server because the virtual machine

vm one two

is lying on the same server now it can

happen that if i have to send a network

packet from the virtual machine vm1 to

the

to the virtual machine vm32

it has to follow the same path that

means

it has to move from the particular

virtual machine to the server network

and from server network it will go to

the switches then from the switches it

will go to the router

and from the router again it will go

back to the switches and from the

switches it will go to the server that

switches will decide

that on which server this network packet

has to get forwarded

and from the server it will go to the

virtual machine 32 which is the

destination network

for this particular network packet now

what is the other problem with the

traditional network infrastructure

now suppose it can happen that i have to

create a new network

for the new virtual machine systems i

mean to say

that if i have to deploy a one virtual

machine on this server one

and second virtual machine on the second

server and the third virtual machine on

the third server

and this all these three

servers has to be into the different

vlan

ids which i can configure on this

virtual switches

but the problem will not stop here

what i have to do that to move the

network packet from this server to this

server

the switch has to aware of this

particular vlan id which we have

introduced

now so we have to configure this

particular vlan id

on this server or switches also so now

if you see that if i

have to add one server into a new

different vlan ids i have to create that

vlan ids on this virtual switches

and also on this particular switch and

the router which is the extra burden for

the admin

so let's see how this virtualized

network infrastructure will help us to

overcome the traditional network

infrastructure problem

in the traditional network

infrastructure problem one problem we

had

is to add this particular villain ids to

all the switches and the routers

if we are creating any new vlan ids

now to overcome this problem there is

something called

logical switches and logical routers

which we can create on this top of this

hypervisor so let me create this

particular

logical switches and logical routers

which will be connected to these virtual

machines

so you can see all these particular

virtual machines is connected to the

virtual

logical switches like this particular

vm1 is connected to the vlan id 100 and

vm3 is connected to the vlan id 100

similarly vm2 is connected to this wheel

and id101

so what i have done i have created a

logical virtual switches for both the

two different lens

and both these two different logical

virtual switches it's connected to this

router

now in this case how the packet moves

from the virtual machine vm1

to the virtual machine vm7 to do this

what the hypervisors these days are

using the method called

encapsulation so in this encapsulation

they encapsulate the packet coming from

any one of this virtual machine

and then they will send it to this

particular router or switches depending

on the

type of the destination now in this case

if i am sending a network from the

virtual machine vm1

to this virtual machine vm7 let's see

how the packet moves

so from the virtual machine vm1

you can see there is a network package

generated and it will come to the

server one so from server one it will

move to the switches

one thing we have to note here that the

switches are not aware of this

vlan ids because we we don't have to

configure

in this case now the switches will send

these packets depending on this

destination now suppose

they just in this case the destination

is the server 3

so it will move this network packet to

the server 3.

now the server 3 hypervisor knows this

server 1 encapsulated this particular

network packet so they will decapsulate

it and send it to this

virtual machine vm7 in the case of the

vmware they use the vx vxlan technology

to do this

encapsulation and decapsulation method

the other benefit which you are going to

get

is suppose if we are adding new virtual

machines

on this particular servers like if i am

adding three

virtual machine on this particular

server and all these three version

machines

are connected to different vlan id so

what i can do i can

create a logical virtual switch and this

logical virtual switch will be connected

to this router

now if any network packet if i have to

send

and it if it is lying on this same

particular

server in this case the vm1 vm2 and vm3

is lying on this

particular one server and if i want to

send this word

and if i want to send a network packet

from the vm1

to vm3 the biggest benefit we are going

to get

is it don't have to even cross this

particular server

this logical router and these logical

switches will help us to move the packet

from the vm1 to the vm3

so in this case if i have a network

packet and if i want to send it to vm3

with the help of this router i can i can

get to know to which

and with the help of this router and

switches it will not even leave this

server

and it will reach to its destination so

if you see this

uh traditional network infrastructure if

i had to send any network packet from

this work uh virtual machine vm1 to the

vm2

it has to come from the vm1 to this

particular server then this particular

switches

then it will go to the router and then

again it will go back to the same server

and from the same server it will go to

the particular virtual machine

so if you see we have reduced this path

of this particular network packet

a lot so this is the biggest benefit we

are going to get out of this network

infrastructure

on top of this we don't have to even

configure the switches and routers for

the new

vlan ideas which we are creating so

these are the two benefits we are seeing

out of this nato virtualization for time

being

this is all about virtualized network

infrastructure

hope you like this video if you have any

doubts

please write it in comment if you like

this video please subscribe to my

channel and stay connected