How VSX Works

Each Virtual System works as a Security Gateway, typically protecting a specified network. When packets arrive at the VSX Gateway, it sends traffic to the Virtual System protecting the destination network. The Virtual System inspects all traffic and allows or rejects it according to rules defined in the security policy.

In order to better understand how virtual networks work, it is important to compare physical network environments with their virtual (VSX) counterparts. While physical networks consist of many hardware components, VSX virtual networks reside on a single configurable VSX Gateway or cluster that defines and protects multiple independent networks, together with their virtual components.

Included Topics Physical Network Topology VSX Virtual Network Topology

Physical Network Topology

The figure below shows a typical deployment with four physical Security Gateways, each protecting a separate network. Each Security Gateway is a separate, physical machine that is hard-wired to the perimeter router and its corresponding network.

VSX Virtual Network Topology

The example shows how a single VSX Gateway with four Virtual Systems protects all four networks.

Each Virtual System in a VSX environment works as an individual Security Gateway, providing the same security and networking functionality as a physical gateway. This example also shows:

• Four Virtual Systems, each handling packet traffic to and from discrete networks.
• One Virtual Switch providing connectivity for all the Virtual Systems to the Internet router.
• "Virtual" interfaces and network cables (known as Warp Links) providing point-to-point connections between the Virtual Systems and the Virtual Switch.