SDN

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101001101

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
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I have just literally started playing around with SDN and wondered who else here is currently doing this and do you share the view that it is an area worth investing time into at this point?

Currently this is my setup (today so still evolving):

1. VMware ESXi 6.0

2. HP VAN SDN Controller (60 day trial) running on Ubuntu Server 14.04 VM

3. Mininet running on Ubuntu Desktop 14.04 VM

4. Cisco CSR 1000V VM

5. Cisco onePK / all-in-one VM

as you see quite a primitive setup but I'm finding it quite confusing with all of the options and support amongst them all.

What is everyone else using? and opinions? I was thinking of going down the HP SDN Dev cert route but I'm still undecided because it is difficult to try to predict the market shift and eventual uptake in terms of this technology, the other problem is having the appropriate lab to learn it, obviously not everyone can afford Cisco Nexus swiches.

I've also been trying to figure out what hardware switches I can buy from the bay to integrate into this, yes I am aware I can use what I have above but I am curious to see how it all works together with real hardware.

So my questions are:

1. Has anyone else ventured down this path and how does your lab look?

2. What is your opinion on SDN and the worth of tampering with it now?

3. Any tips on the best setup and language(s) to learn in order to get the best start.

I am just picking up Python again after a few years of letting it slip but I realise that REST is also in there (Java??).

Thanks
 
You're the first person I've seen even mention HP and SDN in the same sentence.

I do a lot with VMware NSX and Cisco ACI. Have NSX in my home lab and two more at work. Cisco is sending us 4 more Nexus 9Ks and 3 APICs so we can build out our ACI environment. That should be in any time now.

Starting to see a lot of actual interest from customers with several good sized projects on the table. Should be interesting over the next few months.
 
The reason is quite simple, because HP is significantly more accessible and cheaper to use at home in a lab environment than what Cisco and VMware offer in terms of ACI and NSX (unless you have company / corporate backing).

How do I attain experience with ACI and NSX outside of a corporate funded / backed environment?

I know that NSX is now offered in terms of a VMware remote HOL environment but I really want to play with this stuff at home if possible like yourself :)

Good to hear that SDN is now biting with customers though, so you think it is definately a path worth pursuing at this point?
 
I also noted that VMware was previously offering invitation only training on NSX, great, but that doesn't help distribute the product into the market majority. How is one to sell / recommend this excellent product to the board if you cannot even get access to it? (unlike HP's offering :) )

In my opinon they should extend the VMUG offering to include NSX, if they did this then they would be setting themselves up for a clear advantage in the SDN market.
 
Anyone can take NSX training now. There is a public ICM class and two more coming (Design and Troubleshooting/Operations). There was (and is) an invite only program called NSX Ninja. I was in the original one and one of my engineers will be in the second one.

You can learn, pretty much everything, about NSX using the VMware HoL. It's a full environment ready to be used. I sometimes use that for demos, depending on the state of my labs.

vExperts now get NSX license keys but they don't have full access to the bits, yet. But that's about to change. When that does you may see it show up on the VMUG offering too, but I haven't heard that one way or another.

Another way to get training is with PluralSight. I currently have two NSX courses online for that and just now starting the third and final.

Neither Cisco or VMware is too concerned with saturating people with information right now. This is an immature market and they want it messaged and handled carefully. It's just taking a bit of time for things to get out there.
 
I've just renewed my sub to pluralsight.com based on what you have written above, I had let the sub die out but not checked back for new content in a while (I was using INE.COM for other study) thanks for the info, I am going to work through your training courses with the HOL and see how I go.

If VMware can release this to VMUG at some point then that would be fantastic.

I don't suppose you have wind of any ETA for NSX 6.1.3 (vSphere ESXi 6 support?) - I'm aware that 6.1.2 (current) is not supported on 6.
 
There is a new release coming very soon that will support vSphere 6. Shouldn't be long. Waiting on that myself for my lab.
 
Yeah I noticed that and was just about to post but you beat me to it :) Question for you, can you recommend an eBay (UK) sourced switch that in your experience would best serve the feature set required to play with SDN, OpenFlow / sFLOW, VXLAN, VTEP etc etc I know I can do this without hardware but I really want to play with the hardware element too and as I was going to drop in a switch upgrade into my lab, that would be ideal.

Any thoughts?

I was looking at the HP 3500YL.

Thanks
 
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