VNS3

VNS3

VNS3 web user interface
Developer(s) Cohesive Networks
Initial release June 2006 (2006-06)
Stable release
v3.5.1.14,[1] available for free in some cloud providers, paid subscription / 18 March 2016 (2016-03-18) [1]
Website www.cohesiveft.com/products/VNS3

VNS3 is a software-only virtual appliance that allows users to control access and network topology and secure data in motion across public and private clouds[2] VNS3 is a virtual router, switch, firewall, protocol re-distributor, and SSL/IPSec VPN concentrator.[3] The Network Virtualization Software creates a customer controlled overlay network over top of the underlying network backbone [3]

Uses

Cloud users can increase savings, performance, and network management efficiency with VNS3 by eliminating restrictions of other cloud-based network offerings.[3] VNS3 is a network routing and security virtual appliance that lets extend networks into public, private, and hybrid clouds [4] VNS3 lets enterprise data center administrators "create encrypted LAN between virtual machines in a private cloud, as well as encrypted WAN across multiple public clouds."[5]

A quoted VNS3 customer uses VNS3 to direct and manage IPsec traffic with insight and control to comply with financial services compliance regulations.[6]

History

Developers Cohesive Networks first named their multi-sourced infrastructure concept "v-cube-v." The software ran in internal production starting in 2007.[7] The company named the early commercial version of VNS3 "VPN3" or "VPN-Cubed"[5][8] and later renamed the software to VNS3 in 2012.[1]

Amazon Web Services users first began downloading VPN-Cubed from the partner directory on 5 December 2008.[9] VNS3 gained popularity (as VPN-Cubed) as part of the Amazon Web Services public cloud ecosystem[10] and with independent reviews from ZDNet,[11] High Scalability,[12] InfoQ,[13] Chris Hoff,[14] and CloudAve.[15]

In 2012, developers Cohesive Networks released a major version update. The release updated the software to 3.0 and rebranded it as VNS3 (VNS-Cubed).[16] 451 Research analyst William Fellows wrote "VNS[3] is not only for VPNs – hence the name change – since overlays can be within a cloud, between clouds, between a private datacenter and a cloud (or clouds), or between multiple datacenters."[17]

In 2013, Cohesive Networks released a 3.0.1 version of the product, as well as a free edition of VNS3 in Amazon Web Services.[18] VNS3 was recognized in the 6th Annual International Datacenters Awards as the winner of the Public Cloud Services & Infrastructure award[19] In early 2014 VNS3 3.5 was released with major software updates and a new integration with Docker[20] Docker's open source virtualization platform added the ability to run other networking applications as containers inside VNS3 virtual machines. Users can create an overlay network "as a substrate for layer 4-7 network application services – things like proxy, reverse proxy, SSL termination, content caching and network intrusion detection" William Fellows writes.[21]

In early 2015 the company renamed to Cohesive Networks to emphasize the networking capabilities of VNS3 [22] and to spin off the less successful part of the business.[23] The company later announced a new line of VNS3-based products, including VNS3:turret application segmentation controller, the VNS3:ms network management platform, and the VNS3:ha - high availability add on.[24]

After 2008, VNS3 became available in more public cloud providers and geographic regions, including Amazon Web Services EC2,[25] GoGrid,[26] Flexiant,[27] IBM SoftLayer,[28] Google Compute Engine,[29] HP Cloud Services,[30] Mircorsoft Azure,[31] and CenturyLink Cloud.[32]

Software

VNS3 software creates IPSec tunneling connections similar to a site to site VPN. The connections can ensure a single LAN connection between virtual or cloud environments[33] VNS3 gives secure access to cloud assets, extends the Virtual LAN segmentation, isolation, and security of a cloud provider's network.[14]

The first VNS3 was built on a customized Ubuntu-based Linux using open source networking applications Openswan and OpenVPN.[7] The development team chose OpenVPN "primarily because it uses standard OpenSSL encryption, runs on multiple operating systems and does not require kernel patching or additional modules."[7]
VNS3 Managers are virtual machines that act as a VPN gateway for the other virtual machines in the same cloud infrastructure. VNS3 synchronizes between cloud managers using RabbitMQ.[34] VNS3 enables users to turn multicast on and off in order to work on public clouds, allowing software configurations dependent on multicast to function in the cloud.[34]

VNS3 software creates IPSec tunneling connections similar to a site-to-site VPN. The connections can ensure a single LAN network between multiple cloud environments.[35] VNS3 secures connections to cloud deployments, extends the Virtual LAN segmentation, and ensures network isolation and security in a cloud provider's virtual environment.[14] VNS3 has a web-based UI and traditional Linux system command line interface. The VNS3 API uses a Ruby script and Ruby language binding.[36]

The developers earned a patent on the underlying cloud VPN technologies in 2010.[37]

Availability

VPN-Cubed has been available in Amazon Web Services cloud since December 5, 2008[38]
According to the Cohesive Networks website, VNS3 is delivered as a virtual machine and is available in public clouds including: Amazon Web Services,[39] Microsoft Azure,[31] Google Compute Engine, ElasticHosts, IBM SoftLayer, Flexiant, Interoute, and CenturyLink Cloud.[40] Private clouds availability includes: Abiquo, Eucalyptus, Openstack; and virtual infrastructures such as: Xen, VMware, KVM, Citrix.

Pricing

Since October 2008, VNS3 has been available for free on Amazon Web Services[41] Microsoft Azure,[31] and CenturyLink Cloud.[40] Additional paid editions are listed on the Cohesive Networks website.

Release History

Version number Release date Status Major changes Available in Notes
3.5.1.14 18 March 2016 Current A series of dot releases following the major 3.5 release in January 2014 to address feedback from customers on the overall release. Updates to the Docker based L4-L7 container system and to support VNS3:turret in private clouds and virtual infrastructures. Bug fixes and security responses were included in almost every minor update.[1] Public clouds Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, ElasticHosts, CenturyLink Cloud, IBM SoftLayer Google Cloud Platform; Private clouds: Abiquo Enterprise Edition, Eucalyptus (computing), Openstack; virtual infrastructures: Xen, VMware, KVM, Citrix[1] Minor ongoing updates to 3.5 release
3.5 30 January 2014 End of sale 30 April 2016, End of life TBA User-requested updates include the ability to create customizable, flexible networks with Docker containers built into the VNS3 Manager instances. Users can build in custom network functions, including proxy, reverse proxy, WAN optimization, load balancing, and more. Major updates to VNS3 Network OS. Security additions include the ability to generate larger key sizes, easily regenerate new or revoke outstanding ssh credentials, and backward compatibility with all previous supported versions[1] Public clouds Amazon Web Services, HP Cloud Services, Google Compute Engine, ElasticHosts, Flexiant Limited, Interoute, Softlayer; Private clouds: Abiquo Enterprise Edition, Eucalyptus (computing), Openstack; virtual infrastructures: Xen, VMware, KVM, Citrix[1] Major update to 3.0.4 release with Docker integration
3.0.4 26 November 2013 End of lifed on 20 April 2016 Allows VNS3 to replace the Amazon Web Services Amazon Virtual Private Cloud Network address translation Amazon Machine Image; easier management and troubleshooting for IPsec tunnels; uniform customer experience across all VNS3-supported clouds; Overlay network security improvements[1] Available for most cloud providers, bespoke pricing[42] Last release in the 3.0 line before upcoming 3.5 release
3.0.1 17 April 2013 End of life'd on 20 April 2016 Outbound Network address translation features to replace Amazon Web Services Amazon Virtual Private Cloud fees; Private Virtual LAN; Simple Network Management Protocol support for network monitoring tools; recover and re-create VNS3 Managers with snapshots[43] Available for most cloud providers, bespoke pricing[42] Minor release for bug fix and feature updates
3.0 12 September 2012 Historical, no longer supported Network sniffer Packet analyzer, IPsec visibility and monitoring in the API and User Interface; License Upgrade program for immediate upgrades; updated API, expanded Representational state transfer API Available for most cloud providers, bespoke pricing[42] Major release including new user interface, and rebranding change that renamed the older v2.x VPN-Cubed product to VNS3
2.x 17 November 2010 Historical, no longer supported Manager Virtual firewall, Manager API compatibility, external ping capability, Cloud Only edition and Datacenter Connect edition Private clouds: Terremark, Eucalyptus (computing), RightScale, Openstack; virtual infrastructures: Xen, VMware, KVM, Citrix; and public clouds Amazon Web Services, GoGrid, Flexiant Limited, IBM cloud computing[44] First commercial version, named VPN-Cubed
1.x June 2006 Historical, no longer supported First versions were named v-cube-v and tested internally. As the software became commercially available, Cohesive Networks renamed it VPN-Cubed Terremark, Eucalyptus (computing), RightScale, Xen, VMware, KVM, Amazon Web Services,[43] First version

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "VNS3 Release Notes". Cohesive Networks. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "VNS3 CrunchBase Profile". CrunchBase. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 contentRoy Chua (2015). "Cohesive Networks VNS3". SDNCentral LLC. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Company Overview of Cohesive Networks, LLC". Bloomberg. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 Karin Kelley (29 October 2008). "CohesiveFT releases cloud security service VPN-Cubed". 451 Research. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Alan R. Earls (19 March 2014). "Stampede to cloud presents data integration problems". Techtarget. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Dmitriy Samovskiy (1 February 2008). "Building a Multisourced Infrastructure Using OpenVPN". Linux Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Dmitriy Samovskiy (2008-03-12). "VcubeV". Dmitriy Samovskiy. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  9. ↑ "VPN-Cubed". Amazon Web Services. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Jeff Barr (31 October 2008). "New and Cool - VPN-Cubed & Glue". Amazon Web Services Blog. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  11. ↑ Phil Wainewright (19 February 2008). "How to deploy to the cloud of your choice". ZDnet. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Todd Hoff (4 March 2008). "Manage Downtime Risk By Connecting Multiple Data Centers Into A Secure Virtual LAN". High Scalability. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Jean-Jacques Dubray (28 October 2008). "A VPN for Cloud Computing". InfoQ. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Christopher Hoff (2008-11-14). "CohesiveFT VPN-Cubed: Not Your Daddy's Encrypted Tunnel". Rational Security. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  15. ↑ Krishnan Subramanian (28 October 2008). "VPN Cubed – Cloud is Ready for the Enterprise". CloudAve. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "VNS3 Release Notes". Cohesive Networks. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  17. ↑ William Fellows (29 May 2013). "Extending into the cloud: CohesiveFT redefined for its VNS network software". 451 Research. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "CohesiveFT Announces Free Trial Edition for VNS3, Technical Update". Wall Street Journal. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "International Datacentre and Cloud Awards Announced for 2013". Broad Group. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "CohesiveFT Unveils VNS3 3.5 with Docker Technology For The Co-Creation of Customizable, Flexible Cloud Network Platforms". VMblog. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  21. ↑ William Fellows (27 February 2014). "CohesiveFT ships Docker with latest network overlay release". [451 Research]. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  22. ↑ William Fellows (27 January 2015). "Cohesive Networks changes name to reflect what it does". 451 Research. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  23. ↑ Sramana Mitra (7 June 2015). "Successful Pivot to $5M in Revenue from Chicago: Cohesive Networks CEO Patrick Kerpan (Part 5)". One Million by One Million. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "Cohesive Networks Updates Hybrid Overlay Networking Appliance". CIO Review. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  25. ↑ Robin Wauters (4 March 2009). "CohesiveFT Releases VPN-Cubed for EC2". Virtualization.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  26. ↑ Jason Verge (8 January 2010). "GoGrid partners: typical cloud pieces being addressed through tech partnerships". 451 Research. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  27. ↑ "Flexiant and CohesiveFT Join Forces to Offer Virtual Private Clouds On Flexibility". Flexiant. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  28. ↑ "VNS3 Datacenter Connect 3.0". IBM. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  29. ↑ "CohesiveFT Joins Google Cloud Platform Partner Program". Reuters. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  30. ↑ "CohesiveFT Offers Customers Secure and Flexible Networking Features in the HP Public Cloud". Yahoo Finance. 12 Nov 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  31. 1 2 3 "VNS3 Advanced Network Security, Routing, and VPN Product Launches on Microsoft Azure Marketplace". MarketWired. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  32. ↑ "Cohesive Networks Offers Secure, Flexible Network Virtualization Through CenturyLink's Cloud Marketplace". VMblog. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  33. ↑ Krishnan Narayan (2013-07-02). "Smart gateway for AWS Virtual Private Clouds". Symantec. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  34. 1 2 William Fellows (17 November 2008). "CohesiveFT's VPN-Cubed offers some cloud control". 451 Research. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  35. ↑ Krishnan Narayan (2 July 2013), Smart gateway for AWS Virtual Private Clouds, Symantec, retrieved 20 November 2013
  36. ↑ Patrick Kerpan (17 November 2010). "API Tools and Documentation" (PDF). Cohesive Networks. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  37. ↑ US 20100115606 A1, Google Patents, retrieved 21 June 2016
  38. ↑ "Customer Apps: VPN-Cubed". Amazon Web Services. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  39. ↑ "VNS3 Free Edition". Amazon Web Services. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  40. ↑ Krishnan Subramanian (2009-03-04). "VPNCubed Available For EC2 Including A Free Version". Cloud Ave. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  41. 1 2 3 "VNS3 Product Release Notes".
  42. 1 2 "VNS Provider Edition". Cohesive Networks. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  43. ↑ "VNS Provider Edition". Cohesive Networks. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
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