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Virtualization and cloud will drive the future of Data Center networking

Phil Sayer

Principal Analyst

Forrester Research

October 5, 2009

2 Entire contents © 2008 Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

Four questions all CIOs are asking

What is the impact of cloud? Should we build a new Data Center or just buy cloud services?

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What about storage? When should we go for new architectures like FCoE?2

What Data Center architecture do we need to support server virtualization?

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How can we introduce a second switch vendor into our Data Center? What are the benefits and risks?

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t2

t2 This slide should appear right after the title slide.tpohlmann, 06/04/2009


Agenda

• Server virtualization: first steps to a virtual DC?

• Storage: is Fibre Channel history?

• Cloud computing is the future of IT

• Introducing a second switch vendor into the DC

• Recommendations


Firms plan to virtualize over half their servers by 2010

Source: Enterprise And SMB Hardware Survey, North America And Europe, Q3 2008


Server virtualization promises much more than just cost saving

• Server virtualization provides the basis for high availability, scalability and manageability, plus:

– Application portability

– Shared DR infrastructure

• Automated management enhances the picture

– Fast provisioning

– Image synchronization between locations

– Recovery orchestration

– Visibility across multiple server and storage systems


The future of storage: will you really need a SAN?

December 2008 “Do You Really Need A SAN Anymore?”

Leverage Ethernet-based storage for greater savings

• NAS delivers many of the same values as FC SAN

• iSCSI is mature and is available now

• FCoE will reduce the cost of accessing existing FC SANs, but CEE standards are not quite there yet


FCoE will reduce the cost of accessing FC SANs…

LAN SAN BSAN A

Today

Ethernet FC

Ethernet FCFC

I/O Consolidation with FCoE

LAN SAN BSAN A

Ethernet FC

Enhanced Ethernet and FCoE


… but FCoE is really a step towards Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE)

• Fibre Channel was designed to solve Ethernet performance problems eg dropped packets

• Lossless 10G switches (CEE) fix the problem – the standards are supported by Brocade, EMC, NetApp, Emulex, Fujitsu, IBM, Intel, Juniper, Sun, Cisco and Force10 to replace FC and Infiniband

• Ethernet will be the single, unified interconnect fabric for the data center due to its ubiquity, familiarity, cost and performance

• 10Gbps now, increasing soon to 40G and eventually to 100Gbps.


Lossless Ethernet will also simplify DC topology!

Three layer DC architecture

Switch fabric

Single layer switch architecture

• Single layer switches will reduce cost, latency, and power (spanning tree is not needed)

• Non-blocking design improves core capacity scalability

• Virtual servers and storage can be located anywhere in the data center (or outside!) for total flexibility

• The entire data center can be built on a single virtual switch


Cloud computing platforms build off server virtualization

Self-service portal

Source: March 7, 2008, “Is Cloud Computing Ready For The Enterprise?”


Existing definition: cloud computing

> A standardized IT capability (services, software, or infrastructure) delivered via the Internet in a pay-per-use and self-service way

> An internal cloud is a multitenant, dynamically provisioned and optimized infrastructure with self-service deployment, hosted within your own data center.

> A hosted cloud is a multitenant cloud infrastructure built on top of rented resources in a hosting center, but walled off and dedicated to a single client

New definitions: internal cloud and hosted cloud


Virtual private cloud

Lots of hardware and plumbing today

IT TODAY

The future of IT is a combination of internal, hosted, and public clouds – a virtual private cloud

Publiccloud

Internal cloud

> Virtual private cloud technology defines the network security boundaries for services and the locations where elements of these services can be placed.

Hostedcloud


Introducing a second vendor into the DC…

Why? Either to change vendors entirely or as part of a dual sourcing strategy

• Avoid vendor lock-in

• Deploy the best technology for each application

• Improve your negotiating position with each vendor

• Start by eliminating non-proprietary networking standards

• Phase the migration, either by layers, segments. Or both


…the benefits outweigh the potential risks

• Multi-vendor network management tools are mature

• Interoperability is not a problem – use standard networking protocols

• Build, configure, and fault location procedures should always be based on best practice anyway

• Support and escalation processes can be standardized

• Training costs will be higher – but overall TCO is generally lower


If you remember nothing else . . .

Virtualization and NAS require a non-blocking, low latency, loss-less, scalable switch architecture. This makes it a good time to review your vendor strategy

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Use cloud techniques to deliver an internal self-service environment as part of a virtual private cloud2

Use virtualization as the start of a strategic overhaul not simply for hardware consolidation. It should be at the heart of your DC strategy including DR

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t3

t3 This should appear second-to-last -- not counting the traditional 'thank you' slide -- right before the recommendations slide which will e replaced bythe next slide.tpohlmann, 06/04/2009


Thank you

Phil Sayer

+44 (0) 20 7323 7637

[email protected]

www.forrester.com

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