NSX SDN (Software-Defined Networking)
VMware NSX delivers full software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities by decoupling network services from the underlying hardware, bringing the agility of virtualization to networking.
What is Software-Defined Networking?
SDN separates the network control plane from the data plane, allowing for centralized management, programmability, automation, and security. VMware NSX brings this model to VMware virtual environments and multi-cloud deployments.
Key Benefits of VMware NSX
- Network Virtualization (L2-L7 virtual networking)
- Micro-Segmentation for enhanced security
- Automated network provisioning
- Integrated load balancing, VPN, firewall, and routing
- Multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud networking support
- Seamless integration with vSphere and vCenter
NSX Editions
- NSX-T: The modern NSX platform that supports multi-cloud, Kubernetes, and non-VMware environments.
- NSX-V: Legacy NSX for vSphere-only environments (End of Support 2022).
NSX Core Components
- NSX Manager (Centralized management UI/API)
- NSX Controllers (Control plane functions)
- NSX Edge Nodes (Gateway services, load balancing, routing)
- Distributed Firewall (Micro-segmentation enforcement)
- Logical Switching & Routing
NSX Architecture Diagram
See official VMware NSX-T Architecture Documentation
Use Cases
- Zero Trust Security with Micro-Segmentation
- Secure Multi-Tenant Cloud Environments
- Disaster Recovery with stretched networking
- Kubernetes Networking (NSX Container Plugin)
- DevOps and Infrastructure-as-Code integration
Next Step
After understanding SDN, explore VMware vSAN Guide to learn about software-defined storage for your virtual infrastructure.