Network virtualization refers to the process of abstracting physical network components from their hardware configuration and defining them in software. This can be done to combine multiple physical networks into a single network or to define multiple independent networks within a single physical network.
It allows administrators to manage virtual networks across a physical network without having to reconfigure the underlying physical network hardware on which they run. This simplifies network management as well as allowing flexibility in the ways services are delivered. For example, users might consider they are running applications in their own private network, with all the control of the environment that this brings, while actually being one of many such networks running on the same physical machine.
Virtualization makes it possible to create, provision and manage networks in software without having to make changes to the underlying physical network which continues to deliver packet data as if it is a single network. This means that physical network resources such as switches, routers, firewalls, load balancing services and virtual private networks are defined in software and hardware is pooled to deliver these services, requiring only Internet Protocol (IP) packet forwarding from the underlying physical network to operate.
Network virtualization enables an organization to achieve major advances in speed, agility and security by automating and simplifying most of the processes that are involved in managing networks to deliver applications and other services. It enables ultimate flexibility by allowing different users to have their own specially defined network to meet their needs without having to modify the underlying physical network.
Further, all network management processes that are involved in running a data center are centralized in one place and simplify interfacing with outside networks, particularly when managing networking and security in the cloud. Some of the key benefits of network virtualization include:
• Reducing network provisioning time from weeks to minutes
• Achieving greater operational efficiency by automating manual processes
• The ability to move and balance computing workloads and resources independently of the physical network topology
• Improving network security within the data center
• Ability to apply protocols and procedures across all elements of the network environment and thus improve compliance
Server virtualization, for example, is a cost-effective way to provide web hosting services to more effectively use existing resources in IT infrastructure. By having a physical server divided into multiple virtual servers, it allows each virtual server to appear to the user as if it were a unique physical device that runs its own applications and operating system.
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