How does virtual cluster switching simplify flat network management?

How does virtual cluster switching simplify flat network management?

In the modified network, an important advantage of virtual cluster switching is that this additional layerVswitchUsed as one or more modular virtual rack switches. Generally, enterprise data centers have multiple server racks. A pair of top-level rack switches are used to achieve redundancy for the network connection of each server. The five server racks are equivalent to 10 fixed-molding switches, and each of them needs to be managed. Even if the network administrator applies network automation tools on the equipment, each device still needs a lot of management work. With the virtual rack technology, 10 units can be divided into two groups of logical switches, reducing management workload by 5 times.

Not only in high-performance data centers, but with the separation of glass-housed data centers and the gradual distribution of geographical locations, virtual racks will also play an important role in managing the entire enterprise network.

"The fundamental principles of network design are constantly changing in the era of emerging Data centers," said Rohit Mehra, director of corporate communication infrastructure at framheim, International Data Corporation (IDC) in marse. "Virtual racks are no longer a response to adjacent infrastructure management," Mehra said.

The focus of interoperability is still on virtual cluster switching.

The disadvantage of most cluster switching or virtual rack solutions is that the interoperability is unclear.

Vendors such as Brocade and Cisco have released pre-standard vswitches that support virtual clusters based on the Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol. However, other companies such as Juniper Networks have released their own technologies that are not based on this standard.

All vendors, even those that support TRILL in devices, acknowledge that if they can run in homogeneous computer networks, the data center products that use virtual racks are the best. Although not every scenario requires a "vertical upgrade" for the data center infrastructure, network professionals must read a large number of support documentation and implementation guides to implement their virtual chassis.

LONI's Hasson and his team have an environment that fully uses Juniper products, so interoperability is not a problem on his network. However, transition to virtual rack management means training the network team again to let them know how to view the structure and role of the network. One member of our team did not know how the topology works when we handed over, but he was very familiar with the basic principle, at the same time, I think he will eventually accept this method. It is true that integrating the network upgrade of the entire data center and learning the new basic network principles is not a very easy change process for many users.

The management of the simplified flat network for the virtual cluster switch has been completed.

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