SDN and NFV Simplified: A Visual Guide to Understanding Software Defined Networks and Network Function Virtualization

18. OpenStack

Up until now, we have looked at transforming conventional data centers—with their inefficient, expensive architectures and server sprawl—into more streamlined models that consolidate many small servers onto a few larger ones through the use of virtualization. This transformation from a conventional model to a virtualized model could be accomplished using any of the server virtualization technologies to create a private cloud. By now, you should be well aware of the benefits of turning a data center into a private cloud, but this still falls short of cloud computing, which suggests that cloud computing is more than “just” server virtualization. This, of course, leads us to this question: What is the difference between virtualization ...