Network Computing

Upcoming Events

In most data centers, DCIM rests on a shaky foundation of manual record keeping and scattered documentation. OpManager replaces data center documentation with a single repository for data, QRCodes for asset tracking, accurate 3D mapping of asset locations, and a configuration management database (CMDB). In this webcast, sponsored by ManageEngine, you will see how a real-world datacenter mapping stored in racktables gets imported into OpManager, which then provides a 3D visualization of where assets actually are. You'll also see how the QR Code generator helps you make the link between real assets and the monitoring world, and how the layered CMDB provides a single point of view for all your configuration data.

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A Network Computing Webinar:
SDN First Steps

Thursday, August 8, 2013
11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET

This webinar will help attendees understand the overall concept of SDN and its benefits, describe the different conceptual approaches to SDN, and examine the various technologies, both proprietary and open source, that are emerging. It will also help users decide whether SDN makes sense in their environment, and outline the first steps IT can take for testing SDN technologies.

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Next Gen NetworkTech Center

Your company has always made demands on the network, but in the last ten years, the biggest demand has been for more bandwidth. While increasing bandwidth is still important, supporting the diverse set of applications now coming onto the scene is going to impact how you design and manage your network from edge-to-core. Our Next Generation Network Tech Center delivers best practices, emerging trends, new products and strategies to help you prepare for the next generation network.

News and Analysis

Designing The Next-Generation WLAN

With so many different devices and highly mobile workforces, WLAN architects face a lot of challenges. Experts offered guidance on WLAN design, BYOD, and 802.11ac at Interop Las Vegas.

VMware's Casado: Network Virtualization The Right Way

The true benefits from network virtualization will come from simplifying the network and applying it to broader use cases, rather than bickering about the finer points of vendors' SDN products, according to VMware's Martin Casado.

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Blogs

Converged Infrastructure: 3 Considerations

April 16, 2014 12:16 PM

Posted by Bill Kleyman

If you're looking at a converged platform as a way to increase data center efficiency, here are three factors to keep in mind.

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Tags: converged infrastructure, cloud computing, Cisco, UCS platform, Nutanix, data center

Channel: Cloud Computing, Networking & Mgmt, Next Gen Network, Storage & Mgmt, Virtualization, , ,

Networking, Security, And Grand Unified Theory

April 11, 2014 12:08 PM

Posted by Tom Hollingsworth

With a system that can address both networking and security in NSX, Martin Casado of VMware is borrowing an idea from the world of physics.

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Tags: VMware, NSX, Martin Casado, OpenStack, firewalls, IPS, Interop

Channel: Next Gen Network, Security, Virtualization,

SDN And Wi-Fi: Will They Ever Be Friends?

April 09, 2014 12:16 PM

Posted by Lee H. Badman

Can the WLAN industry and its highly proprietary systems play nice with a technology that's poised to be a poster child for interoperability?

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Tags: SDN, software-defined networking, Wi-Fi, WLAN, Aruba, Meru, Cisco, Ethernet switches

Channel: Networking & Mgmt, Next Gen Network,

Cisco's CIO Calls For Speed And Agility At Interop

April 02, 2014 11:08 AM

Posted by Susan Fogarty

Cisco's CIO, Rebecca Jacoby, described the company's experience delivering employee IT services and how its latest announcement, OpFlex, fits into her vision.

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Tags: Cisco, Rebecca Jacoby, Interop, OpFlex

Channel: End to End APM, Next Gen Network, Interop

The Software-Defined Data Center: Potential Game Changer

March 31, 2014 11:35 AM

Posted by Andrew Froehlich

The SDDC is poised to bring revolutionary changes by providing flexibility to data center storage, switching, security and other infrastructure components.

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Tags: software-defined data center, SDDC, VMware, server virtualization, data center storage.

Channel: Next Gen Network, Security, Virtualization,

Hardware-Defined Networking: Bridging The Gap For Enterprise SDN

March 24, 2014 11:22 AM

Posted by Greg Ferro

Midokura teams with Cumulus Networks to connect physical networks to a network overlay.

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Tags: hardware-defined networking, Midokura, Cumulus Networks, SDN, VXLAN, VTEP, OVSDB, Cisco, VMware, network overlay

Channel: Virtualization, , Next Gen Network, Interop

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Vendor Comparisons

Network Computing�s Vendor Comparisons provide extensive details on products and services, including downloadable feature matrices. Our categories include:

Next Gen Network Reports

Data Center Interconnects: An Overview

It's common for organizations of a certain size to have two data centers as part of a disaster recovery or business continuity plan. A data center interconnect extends an Ethernet network between two physically separate data centers. While the idea is simple, Ethernet wasn't designed to run across a WAN. Thus, a DCI implementation requires a variety of technological fixes to work around Ethernet's limitations. This report outlines the issues that complicate DCIs, and examines the variety of options companies have to connect two or more data centers, -including dark fiber, MPLS services and MLAG, as well as vendor-specific options such as Cisco OTV and HP EVI.

Is Hosted VoIP Right for You? 6 Must-Ask Questions

We outline six questions you must ask when deciding whether to move your telephony system to a hosted VoIP provider, including questions about reliability, branch survivability, E911 capability and whether you�re looking for additional collaboration services. We also outline how to price a hosted VoIP option.

Understanding Flat Networks

A flat network or fabric provides more paths through the network and can maximize bandwidth and better support a highly virtualized data center. We'll look at standards-based approaches to designing a flat network, including TRILL and SPB, as well as proprietary implementations. We'll also discuss the implications of moving to a flat network and provide guidance to help you decide if this approach is right for your data center.

3 Paths To Network Convergence

Separate data and storage networks might have been necessary when Fast Ethernet was pitted against speedy, special-purpose Fibre Channel, but Ethernet's evolution has obviated most of the performance differences. We'll examine the trends behind network convergence, share exclusive research, and outline three deployment scenarios for those who want to merge data and storage networks.

Networking In A Virtualized World

Virtualization is rapidly evolving into a core element of next-generation data centers. This expanded role places new strains on the network. This report explore the technical issues exposed by virtualized infrastructure and looks at standards, technologies and best practices that can make your network ready to support virtualization.