VergeFabric: Software-Defined Networking Built Into VergeOS
VergeFabric delivers L2 and L3 networking, routing, firewalls and VPNs inside VergeOS, the private cloud OS. There are no SDN licenses to buy, no controller VMs to run and no proprietary switches to install. Your infrastructure savings extend past the hypervisor to the network.
A VMware exit that stops at the hypervisor leaves NSX costs behind
Traditional SDN products like VMware NSX bring per-core licensing, dedicated manager and edge VMs, and their own management console. Those costs and that complexity keep many organizations from adopting SDN at all, and the ones that do adopt it pay twice, once in licenses and again in the CPU and memory the controllers consume.
- Per-core SDN licensing on top of the hypervisor
- Controller and edge VMs competing with production workloads
- VLAN sprawl and hand-built VPNs between sites
VergeFabric makes networking part of the platform
VergeFabric is integrated directly into VergeOS. Routing, firewalls, VPNs, DHCP and NAT run as native services of the operating system, so IT teams modernize the network along with the hypervisor and storage, with no added software cost and no extra hardware.
- No SDN licensing fees and no vendor lock-in
- Segmentation at the VM and virtual data center level without VLAN sprawl
- Built-in multi-site VPNs and DR failover for the network
Integrated SDN Without the Cost or Complexity
Standalone SDN runs as a separate layer on top of the hypervisor. VergeFabric is fully embedded in VergeOS, which removes that layer and everything that comes with it.
- No dedicated SDN VMs consuming CPU and memory
- No additional licensing, VergeFabric is included with VergeOS
- No third-party integrations to build and maintain
- No proprietary hardware, it runs on commodity network switches
NSX adds manager VMs, edge VMs and licenses. VergeFabric runs inside VergeOS.
Virtual Data Centers: Isolation Built Into the Network
VergeFabric works directly with Virtual Data Centers (VDCs), the VergeOS feature that abstracts an entire data center the way a virtual machine abstracts a server. Each VDC gets its own firewall rules, routing policies, DHCP and access controls.
- Separate teams, business units or customers on shared hardware
- Block lateral movement between environments by default
- Dedicate network resources to a VDC and stop noisy neighbors
- Replicate a whole VDC, network settings included, for fast failover
Each VDC has its own firewall and routing. Traffic between tenants stops at the boundary.
Connect Sites and Fail Over the Network Too
VergeFabric includes site-to-site VPN with IPsec and WireGuard, so locations connect securely without third-party SD-WAN products or hand-built tunnels. BGP integration moves IP addresses automatically during a failover.
When you replicate a VDC with ioReplicate, its networks, firewall rules and routes travel with the VMs. The recovered environment comes up ready to run, with no network rebuild at the DR site.
Encrypted tunnels connect the sites. Replicated VDCs arrive with their networks intact.
NETdepot Replaced External Appliances
NETdepot, a hosting provider, runs its routing and firewalls on VergeFabric instead of separate network appliances. The change cut costs, simplified operations and gave the team microsegmentation for its own infrastructure and its clients.
VergeIO’s networking capabilities have given us all the essential features of VMware’s NSX without the extra cost. NETdepot is taking full advantage of VergeIO’s Routing and Firewall capabilities to replace external appliances, further reducing costs and simplifying overall operations. We also use advanced networking functions like microsegmentation to enhance security, ensuring greater protection for our infrastructure and our clients.
Advanced Networking Capabilities
VergeFabric delivers enterprise networking inside VergeOS and manages it from the same web interface as compute and storage.
| Category | Feature | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Routing | BGP | Scalable routing between networks and data centers, plus automated IP failover |
| OSPF | Dynamic routing inside the network | |
| EIGRP | Routing within large enterprise networks | |
| Site-to-Site VPN | IPsec | Encrypted tunnels between sites |
| WireGuard | Lightweight, high-performance site-to-site VPN | |
| Client VPN | WireGuard | Secure remote access for users |
| Security | Stateful firewall | Layer 3 and 4 five-tuple rule enforcement |
| Port mirroring | East-west and north-south traffic monitoring | |
| Firewall rule logging | Detailed logs of rules and traffic patterns | |
| Rate limiting | Limits per network or per Layer 3 and 4 traffic type | |
| DHCP | DHCP server | Automatic IP address assignment |
| DHCP reservations | Consistent addresses for critical systems | |
| Core Services | Static routes | Manually defined routing paths |
| NAT | Address translation between internal and external networks | |
| DNS | Integrated name resolution | |
| Diagnostics | Netcat | Tests network connections |
| NMAP | Scans for connected devices and exposures | |
| tcpdump | Captures live traffic for analysis | |
| Route table viewing | Shows current routes for troubleshooting | |
| ARP table viewing | Shows MAC-to-IP mappings | |
| Traceroute | Diagnoses path and latency issues |
Resources
Revisiting SDN
Why SDN belongs inside the infrastructure platform, and what that change saves.
On-Demand WebinarRethinking VMware Networking
Add SDN to your VMware alternative checklist and save even more.
PlatformVirtual Data Centers
How VDCs package compute, storage and networking into isolated tenants.
Request a VergeFabric Demo
See VergeFabric build segmented networks, firewall rules and site-to-site VPNs inside VergeOS. A VergeIO engineer will walk through your network design and show how it maps to VDCs.
Prefer a whiteboard conversation? Book a technical whiteboard session with our team.
Request a Demo
Frequently Asked Questions About VergeFabric
What is VergeFabric?
VergeFabric is the software-defined networking built into VergeOS. It delivers routing, firewalls, VPNs, DHCP and NAT without separate SDN licenses, controller VMs or proprietary network appliances.
How is VergeFabric different from VMware NSX?
VergeFabric is part of VergeOS instead of a separate product. It has no per-core licensing, no dedicated SDN VMs consuming CPU and memory, no separate management console and no requirement for proprietary hardware. It runs on commodity network switches.
Do I need additional licenses to use VergeFabric?
No. VergeFabric is included with VergeOS at no extra cost. There is no SDN license, per-core charge or add-on upgrade.
What networking features does VergeFabric include?
VergeFabric includes dynamic routing with BGP, OSPF and EIGRP, site-to-site VPN with IPsec and WireGuard, client VPN with WireGuard, a stateful Layer 3 and 4 firewall, segmentation at the VM and VDC level, DHCP, NAT, DNS and built-in network diagnostics.
How does VergeFabric improve security?
VergeFabric builds stateful firewalls and segmentation into the platform. VM-level and VDC-level segmentation stop lateral movement, port mirroring and firewall rule logging support monitoring and audits, and rate limiting controls excess traffic.
Does VergeFabric work with my existing network switches?
Yes. VergeFabric overlays your existing physical network and works with commodity switches from any vendor. It uses open networking standards and requires no proprietary hardware.
Does VergeFabric support multi-site connectivity?
Yes. VergeFabric includes site-to-site VPN with IPsec and WireGuard, so locations connect securely without a third-party SD-WAN product.
How does VergeFabric help with disaster recovery?
When a Virtual Data Center replicates to a second site, its networks, firewall rules and routes replicate with it. Network services fail over automatically, and BGP integration moves IP addresses during a failover, so the recovered environment needs no network rebuild.
How does VergeFabric work with Virtual Data Centers?
Each Virtual Data Center is an independent network segment with its own firewall, DHCP and routing policies. That isolation keeps teams, business units or customers separate on shared hardware, and the whole VDC, network settings included, can be replicated for DR.
Can I manage VergeFabric from the VergeOS interface?
Yes. VergeFabric is managed in the VergeOS web interface. Teams configure firewall rules, VPNs and routing there and use built-in diagnostics, including Netcat, NMAP, tcpdump, route and ARP table viewing and traceroute, with no separate SDN console.
Take the Savings Past the Hypervisor
VergeFabric replaces SDN licenses, controller VMs and network appliances with networking built into VergeOS. See it on your own network design.