Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 02 | Page 50

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centres The new IP – Getting started in the data centre The New IP allows you to take evolutionary steps to achieve revolutionary results. So, where do you start? There are two basic components to a New IP network: The overlay and the underlay. Many feel that the overlay is a bit more complex than the underlay, but you can gain benefits from either component alone, or eventually both together, writes Yarob Sakhnini, Regional Director, MEMA, Brocade. 50 INTELLIGENTCIO B uilding a foundation In terms of the underlay, every network ultimately needs to move data and forward packets. And if you’ve virtualised your compute environment, like just about everyone else, you need a packet underlay that lets you get more out of that virtualised compute system. In fact, you need to be able to track the VMs as you move them, monitor traffic between them, and troubleshoot everything. This is a very hard problem to solve with old IP networks, but it’s much easier with New IP networks. In fact, a New IP underlay will make a current VMware environment run better, while also paving the way to a new software overlay. www.intelligentcio.com