Oracle Virtual Networking

The Oracle corporation announced in April, 2013 Oracle Virtual Networking — an open architecture of network infrastructure of a data processing center which simplifies difficult large-scale implementations of DPC thanks to the solution with uniform connection (wire-once) and a simple configuration of the network determined by the software.

Virtual Networking offers fast network infrastructure of a data processing center with capacity to 80 Gbps and supports the Sparc Oracle T5, T4 and M5 servers and also the Oracle Solaris 11 operating system for both processor platforms — Sparc and x86. Besides, the new version of Oracle Fabric Manager 4.1 unifies systems management of Sparc and x86, unrolled using network infrastructure of Oracle Fabric Interconnect.

According to developers, Oracle Virtual Networking can help customers: by 4 times to increase performance of applications; for 70% to simplify infrastructure; to reduce capital investments in a local network and the storage area network by 50%; by 19 times to accelerate migrations of virtual machines; in minutes, but not days to deploy the new services and to reconfigure resources.

Oracle Virtual Networking is the solution for all switching architecture of a modern data processing center and supports the operating systems Oracle Solaris, Oracle Linux, Microsoft Windows and the systems of virtualization, including Oracle VM, VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V.

"Oracle Virtual Networking is the fastest in the industry a network architecture of a data processing center. It allows to increase performance and dynamism, at the same time actually eliminating complexity in traditional data processing centers — Raju said Raju Penumatcha, the vice president of Oracle for product development of Netra Systems and Networking. — Now, thanks to adding of support of fast processors and the cloud operating system, customers will be able to seize the opportunities of Oracle Virtual Networking on both platforms — Sparc and x86".

The Oracle Virtual Networking technology allows the companies and the organizations using the Sparc T5 and T4 servers to create and develop modern applications and to deliver new cloud services. The solution also gives the chance to clients of Sparc, without interrupting work, to consolidate existing applications of Sparc/Oracle Solaris on the Sparc servers of the T and M series using the flexible high-speed network interface.

Virtual Networking allows to create large pools of servers with a scalable subsystem of input-output (I/O). So, the configuration with eight switching modules Oracle Fabric Interconnects can be scaled before support of a pool from 1000 servers and 128 thousand main cores based on the Oracle Sparc T5 systems, noted in Oracle.

Besides, the architecture of Oracle Virtual Networking is optimal for virtualization. It allows customers to involve more virtual machines on one server and to receive predictable performance for crucial applications with detailed quality control of service, developers claim.

2013: Improvements of a system

On November 21, 2013 the Oracle corporation announced improvements in Oracle Virtual Networking. The development purpose - performance improvement of infrastructure, expense reduction, simplification of the organization of cross-server network connections of servers with storage systems.

Key changes

In updated Oracle Virtual Networking now the full range of the Oracle SPARC systems, including the SPARC M6-32 server is supported, the Fujitsu M10 server is also supported.

• The functionality of I/O Multi-pathing in Oracle Solaris is maintained, providing to customers high availability to storage systems. Customers can create completely virtualized environment "without uniform point of failure" (i.e. without components, failure of each of which leads to system failure in general).

• The Oracle Virtual Networking drivers are included in Oracle VM and Oracle Linux with a core of Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 that saves from need of loading or installation of drivers separately.

• Oracle Virtual Networking continues to show significant increase in popularity and sales in a broad spectrum of the industries. And now with support of the Oracle SPARC servers the platform will expand application and in the new industries, such as financial services and retail.

Oracle Virtual Networking can help customers to achieve the following results: by 4 times to increase performance of applications; for 70% to simplify infrastructure; for 50% to cut down a capital expenditure for cross-server local networks and storage area networks; in minutes, but not days to deploy the new services and to reconfigure resources.