HP and VMware said they will create the first federated network solution designed to provide unified automation of and visibility into physical and virtual data center networks.

The HP-VMware networking solution will bring together VMware’s NSX and HP’s Virtual Application Networks SDN controller for a centralized view of the network for monitoring and troubleshooting.

Gartner analyst Joe Skorupa said the hybrid model brings together device-based and overlay models to mix physical and virtual devices on the one control plane.

“This approach promises a rapid time to value, support for bare metal endpoints (servers, networking, security appliances and so forth) and a smooth migration to an optimal mix of end points,” Skorupa said.

HP said the HP-VMware networking solution can eliminate the need for manual configurations of the physical and virtual data center network using orchestration policies.

The networking solution will be available in the second half of 2014.

Juniper adds NSX capabilities
Juniper has added VMware’s NSX capabilities to its switching, routing and security portfolio, saying it offers seamless management of workflows across virtualized and non-virtualized systems.

It said its solutions will include VMware NXS L2 Gateway integration and VXLAN routing capabilities across access, aggregation, core and edge tiers of the data center network.

Juniper said it is working closely with VMware to develop a broad range of solutions using NSX Layer 2 functionality, which will be offered on its EX Series and QFX Series platforms and MX series routers.

It is also offering comprehensive management and advanced analytics and troubleshooting capabilities across physical and virtual environments through a plug-in for VMware’s vCenter Server.

The two companies will also work together to develop security solutions integrating NSX with networking application programming interfaces.

The work will be put towards a blueprint for the virtualized data center, according to Juniper, which will available later this year.

Brocade brings NSX to VCS Fabric
Brocade has worked with VMware to integrate its NSX networking technology with its VCS Fabric Technology to unify physical and virtual environments.

The VCS Gateway for VMware NSX allows the virtual network to connect with the physical assets in the data center.

It said the solution allows Brocade VDX switches to connect as one logical switch to offer a scalable, multitenant network virtualization environment.

Citrix automates with NSX.

Citrix said it is automating the deployment and configuration of its cloud networking platform NetScaler within networks using VMware’s NSX network virtualization platform.

It said the solution will allow users to provide customers with more flexibility and choice when deploying advanced application availability, security and optimization functionality.

“NetScaler Control Centre integration with VMware NSX abstracts away the traditional complexities associated with physical network topology, enabling users to programmatically deploy NetScaler services within seconds,” Citrix said.

“Leveraging infrastructure used to integrate NetScaler with Citrix CloudPlatform powered by Apache CloudStack, NetScaler Control Center automates the deployment, configuration and management of NetScaler services into virtualized networks, traditional physical networks, or into mixed physical and virtual networking environments.”

Citrix said the move pushes it closer to its vision of the application-defined cloud network.