Key Features of Nexus 1000V Virtual Switch
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Key features of the Nexus 1000V Virtual
Switch, as described by Cisco:
Networking analyst Jon Oltsik of
Enterprise Strategy Group told eWEEK
that this collaboration between Cisco and Microsoft "gives Cisco the
opportunity to do the kind of bundling that it does in the VMware space. It's
got vBlocks (pre-configured Cisco-EMC unified data center systems) and the
NetApp-VMware packages (both for vSphere), but it can now do the same type of
thing with Hyper-V in the Microsoft space.
"It goes beyond just the UCS. With
Microsoft now, there's tight integration into the virtual network."
Mike Spanbauer of Current Analysis told
eWEEK that "while VMware may
hold the dominant share for virtualization platforms, Microsoft is No. 2 and
clearly has aggressive plans to expand its virtual 'footprint' in the
enterprise. Cisco, in turn, recognizes the value of providing well-integrated
solutions, regardless of the application vendor, and is investing to ensure
customers' needs are met-regardless of the virtual platform choice.
"Specifically, in order to manage
a virtual machine, you must first see and follow it," Spanbauer said. "This
can be accomplished with either the platform's virtual switch mechanism or
through another vendor's. Cisco has a solid virtual switching story."
- Improved visibility, control and operational flexibility for Hyper-V environments; full security control in a virtualized environment consistent with a Cisco physical network.
- Policy enforcement, automated provisioning and diagnostics are available; these help to rapidly deploy virtual workloads in Windows Server Hyper-V environments and scale to very large data centers.
- When working with Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) management tools, the Virtual Switch helps network, virtualization and server administrators gain efficiency in managing multitenant and mobile virtual environments; it also helps obtain accurate, real-time data for troubleshooting of virtual environments.
- Through integration with Cisco's security software (Virtual Security Gateway and Virtual ASA), application optimization software (Virtual Wide Area Application Services) and network monitoring software (Network Analysis Module), the Virtual Switch provides virtual machine-level security for multitenant environments.
Chris Preimesberger was named Editor-in-Chief of Features & Analysis at eWEEK in November 2011. Previously he served eWEEK as Senior Writer, covering a range of IT sectors that include data center systems, cloud computing, storage, virtualization, green IT, e-discovery and IT governance. His blog, Storage Station, is considered a go-to information source. Chris won a national Folio Award for magazine writing in November 2011 for a cover story on Salesforce.com and CEO-founder Marc Benioff, and he has served as a judge for the SIIA Codie Awards since 2005. In previous IT journalism, Chris was a founding editor of both IT Manager's Journal and DevX.com and was managing editor of Software Development magazine. His diverse resume also includes: sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News, covering NCAA and NBA basketball, television critic for the Palo Alto Times Tribune, and Sports Information Director at Stanford University. He has served as a correspondent for The Associated Press, covering Stanford and NCAA tournament basketball, since 1983. He has covered a number of major events, including the 1984 Democratic National Convention, a Presidential press conference at the White House in 1993, the Emmy Awards (three times), two Rose Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl, several NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, a Formula One Grand Prix auto race, a heavyweight boxing championship bout (Ali vs. Spinks, 1978), and the 1985 Super Bowl. A 1975 graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., Chris has won more than a dozen regional and national awards for his work. He and his wife, Rebecca, have four children and reside in Redwood City, Calif.Follow on Twitter: editingwhiz
