In recent years, new technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and virtualization have been dazzling, and all of these technologies have been implemented based on data centers. As the saying goes, “the economic base determines the superstructure”, the data center network is the basis for realizing these functions. These forces the network technology to change, otherwise it will not be able to adapt to these new things, so the data center network technology has also developed rapidly in recent years. A variety of new technologies are emerging, and the last blockade in the data center has finally been opened, which has brought vitality to the data center. Any advancement in technology is not a one-step process. It needs to be tempered, there will be different voices, and many technologies will disappear. This article will specifically talk about the emergence of data center networks. new technology.
Virtual switching technology
Virtual switching technology refers to allowing multiple switching functions to be performed on the same physical device or performing single-function switching on multiple physical devices in the network. The virtual switching technology is the core concept in the multi-service network switching structure. The essence of virtual switching technology is to implement some functions of network switching through servers, so as to replace some network functions of network switches with servers. This not only simplifies the network but also reduces the cost of network construction. It can move some functions of the switch down to the server. This technology is also the technology promoted by server vendors. Server vendors also hope to obtain part of the network market through this technology. Have access to the online market. However, virtual switching technology is still a brand new field. Many server vendors have their own ideas and it is difficult to form a unified technical standard.
CISCO and VMware submitted a virtual exchange technology draft VN-Link to IETF. CISCO is a traditional network hardware manufacturer, and VMware is a virtualization software vendor. Therefore, the combination of the two also has its own small abacus, so this draft Two solutions have been proposed, one is implemented by software, and the other is realized by a hardware network card. CISCO even proposed a hardware-based virtual switching scheme. To know that CISCO is also the fifth largest server vendor in the world, and it is also very powerful in the server field. CISCO proposed 802.1qbb BPE and 802.1BR, and other server vendors have also proposed their own virtual switching technology, such as; 802.1Qbg EVB, EVBA, etc., server vendors are not dedicated to network equipment, so these virtual switching technologies Not getting more responses, especially the positive counterattacks of network vendors, made virtual switching technology a laboratory technician, and so far has not been able to enter the data center on a large scale, although most servers support virtual switching technology, But it has not been applied on a large scale. The future of virtual switching technology is unknown, and there are not many more development opportunities in a short period of time.
Large second layer technology
The second-tier technology is currently the hottest network technology, which has been widely recognized by data center customers and has been scaled up. The second-tier technology actually contains a variety of technologies. The drafts proposed by CISCO are the most complete, such as TRILL, OTV, LISP, PBB-EVPN, NPS, FabricPath, etc., showing the leading edge of CISCO technology in the network field. Other network vendors are not to be outdone. Juniper proposed QFabric, Huawei proposed CloudFabric, H3C proposed EVI, so many big two-tier technologies, which is more mature and better. Now there is no unified conclusion, just in various technical disputes. At the time, VXLAN appeared. This was a draft jointly proposed by VMware and CISCO, and quickly received responses from all network vendors. VXLAN technology has also been developed at a very fast speed and applied in various data centers around the world. No matter how good the technology is, it is only a theory. Only the technology that has been practiced in the best technology. The emergence of VXLAN has made it necessary for major network vendors to adapt and implement in order to enter the data center market. This has also promoted the unification of second-tier technology and become the fastest unified standard in the field of network technology. Although many network vendors are reluctant to abandon their proposed large-layer network technology draft, the development momentum of VXLAN has been out of control and has received a positive response from data center customers. Therefore, these network vendors have to implement VXLAN for network protocol compatibility. In this way, the development of second-tier technology is simple. See who supports VXLAN well, and other big two layers are slowly disappearing and become history.
Big exchange technology
The large switching technology focuses on the internal implementation of the data center switch. The server can implement virtual technologies such as virtual, multi-virtual, multi-virtual and multi-virtualization. These virtualization technologies bring substantial benefits to the data center, which makes the data center The network has also raised such needs. The network device is virtualized, which not only facilitates management but also divides and isolates network devices according to service requirements, facilitating deployment of services. However, the implementation is internal to the network device, so it is a proprietary technology, and the devices of each network manufacturer cannot be virtualized. At present, there are several large switching technologies in this field, CISCO’s VSS and VDC, Huawei’s CSS, ZTE’s VSC, and H3C’s IRF. Although these technologies are different, they implement device virtualization. Nowadays, large switching technology has become the standard configuration of data center network equipment. Network equipment that does not support large switching has been unable to enter the data center. Therefore, no matter how much support is provided, it is necessary to propose its own virtualization technology. In this field, the earliest and the first is CISCO. CISCO has long supported the merger between multiple devices. In terms of time, VSS and VDC technologies have developed for the longest time and have developed most maturely. However, the virtualization of other network vendors also has some features, and some also support virtualization between different models and different chassis devices. Which technology is good, or depends on the data center customers, only to say good is true. it is good.
Virtual switching, big two-tier, and big exchange are the three hottest technologies in the data center network field. Each technology has spawned many subdivisions and competed with each other. Only when there is competition can there be development. Only in the constant competition, technology can be improved. In this case, some technologies will be eliminated and some technologies will be promoted. The disappearance and development of each technology are triggered by changes in the market structure of network vendors. Therefore, mastering the development trend of new technologies and taking the lead in the market is the direction of efforts of every network manufacturer. The three technologies are currently taking root in the data center market, and the data center will soon be revealed by the new network technology. The new data center network era is open!
