<strong>The</strong> Solution: A Vision of FutureState <strong>Data</strong> <strong>Center</strong>s<strong>The</strong> software-defined data center can be definedas using software to control <strong>the</strong> bare metal (orhardware), with an ability to turn services on andoff, <strong>the</strong>reby shrinking or expanding resources tomeet a defined level of service assurance. <strong>The</strong>mechanisms to achieve this lie in <strong>the</strong> ability toabstract <strong>the</strong> hardware layer and provide computeservices as virtual resources to <strong>the</strong> applicationsseeking <strong>the</strong>m through <strong>the</strong> following options:• Server virtualization.• Storage virtualization or software-definedstorage.• Network virtualization or software-definednetworking.As discussed in <strong>the</strong> previous section, server virtualizationenabled via hypervisor as <strong>the</strong> abstractionlayer has reached mainstream adoption. <strong>The</strong>re isongoing R&D to bring storage and network devicesto equivalent maturity. A multitude of nicheproducts already exist in this area; moreover,numerous acquisitions by large original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs) are adding SDDCcapabilities to <strong>the</strong>ir hardware products. However,<strong>the</strong> vendor community<strong>The</strong> future stateof <strong>the</strong> data centerencompasses hardwareinfrastructure designedand programmaticallycontrolled by softwareacross server, storageand network.lacks a comprehensiveframework to allow organizationsto deploy andminimize <strong>the</strong> risk of beingearly SDDC adopters. Inaddition, available solutionsstill lack <strong>the</strong> ability todemonstrate how existinginfrastructure or legacyinfrastructure could beleveraged and convergedwith SDDC infrastructure.One promising development is <strong>the</strong> OpenDayLightProject where a set of companies have defineda common goal of establishing an open-sourceframework for software-defined networking(SDN).Across server, storage and network, regardlessof <strong>the</strong>ir maturity, organizations can now quicklydraw <strong>the</strong> mapping on abstraction layers for <strong>the</strong>irhardware devices. Figure 4 documents withan asterisk (*) that technologies are emergingaround SDN.As with o<strong>the</strong>r virtual technologies, network virtualizationprovides an abstraction layer on variousphysical network devices, <strong>the</strong>reby retaining <strong>the</strong>network’s physical properties, such as packetforwarding and trustworthy packet routing, butenabling logical isolation and device independence.Some experts define network virtualizationas a network that can be instantiated,operated and removed without physical networkasset interaction by <strong>the</strong> network administrator.<strong>Software</strong>-defined networking can be leveraged toenable virtualized networks, <strong>the</strong>reby decoupling<strong>the</strong> data and <strong>the</strong> network hardware.With storage virtualization, physical storagedevices are pooled and used as virtual resources.<strong>The</strong> future state of <strong>the</strong> data center encompasseshardware infrastructure designed and programmaticallycontrolled by software across server,storage and network. <strong>The</strong> converged infrastructurewithin this future state must have an ability tointegrate with existing legacy systems in <strong>the</strong> datacenter. Power and cooling solutions, for instance,need <strong>the</strong> intelligence to switch on and off basedon consumption. An all-encompassing dashboardis also required to indicate <strong>the</strong> health of variouscomponents within <strong>the</strong> SDDC. Hardware managementand monitoring, coupled with software,needs intelligence to automate tasks and selfheal/self-learnproblems.Conceptual View of <strong>the</strong> SolutionSDDCs are an extension to <strong>the</strong> cloud deliverymodel of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), andbasic tenets of cloud delivery model will exist asfoundational building blocks. Additional integrationlayers between legacy hardware, data centerfacilities and an all-encompassing monitoringand management stack are among <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r keytenets to this solution.SDN EmergesServerStorageNetworkFigure 4HW TierAbstraction LayerHypervisorLUN/Volumes/Virtual DisksEvolving* (VMware NSX) is one such, OpenFlow protocolcognizant 20-20 insights 4
Today’s <strong>Data</strong> <strong>Center</strong> Infrastructure Architecture: A Conceptual ViewLimited Functionality of Service PortalsSecurity LayerApplicationOperating SystemVirtual Machine HardwareOptimize RAM, vCPU, Storage, Resource Limits & ReservationsHypervisorResource Pools, HA, <strong>Data</strong> Stores, Parameter TuningPhysical HardwareServer, Storage, NetworkAutomation and Management LayerCatalogFigure 5Figure 5 depicts a conceptual view of today’s infrastructurearchitecture in a traditional data center.<strong>The</strong> surrounding data center components suchas data center facilities and legacy infrastructurewould exist in <strong>the</strong> estate, as individual componentsin <strong>the</strong> data center. Figure 6 illustrates <strong>the</strong>infrastructure architecture surrounding SDDC,where software programmatically controls, andis deployed to meet, enterprise business applicationsfor dynamic workloads.SDDC blocks need to be holistic for integrationacross physical, legacy and data center facilities.This requires third-party vendors with plug-ins toprovide <strong>the</strong> interfaces.• Physical hardware and legacy infrastructure:This constitutes <strong>the</strong> bare metal hardwareand data centers that can be virtualized acrossphysical or legacy systems. <strong>The</strong> ability of <strong>the</strong>seto be involved and controlled via software, programmatically,will be based on <strong>the</strong> evolutionof technology or business needs, dependingon <strong>the</strong> abstraction of server, storage, networkcomponents and legacy integration requirements.OEMs and converged infrastructurevendors are key players since <strong>the</strong>y design,fabricate and integrate to make this happen.• Management layer: This consists of an integratedsuite of management and monitoringInfrastructure Surrounding SDDC: A Conceptual ViewConsumption of Services and Self-Service Design PortalsApplicationSecurity LayerOperating SystemVirtual Machine HardwareOptimize RAM, vCPU, Storage, Virtual Network Ports,Resource Limits & Reservations<strong>Software</strong>-<strong>Defined</strong> Services of Server, Storage and Network, Converged FabricHypervisorVirtual Resource Pools, HA, <strong>Data</strong> Stores, Parameter TuningPhysical HardwareServer, Storage, NetworkLegacy InfraCatalogGateway InterfaceModule<strong>Data</strong><strong>Center</strong>FacilitiesAutomation and Management LayerThird Party PluginsFigure 6cognizant 20-20 insights 5