This handbook offers a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research achievements in the field of data centers. Contributions from international, leading researchers and scholars offer topics in cloud computing, virtualization in data centers, energy efficient data centers, and next generation data center architecture. It also comprises current research trends in emerging areas, such as data security, data protection management, and network resource management in data centers. Specific attention is devoted to industry needs associated with the challenges faced by data centers, such as various power, cooling, floor space, and associated environmental health and safety issues, while still working to support growth without disrupting quality of service. The contributions cut across various IT data technology domains as a single source to discuss the interdependencies that need to be supported to enable a virtualized, next-generation, energy efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly data center. This book appeals to a broad spectrum of readers, including server, storage, networking, database, and applications analysts, administrators, and architects. It is intended for those seeking to gain a stronger grasp on data center networks: the fundamental protocol used by the applications and the network, the typical network technologies, and their design aspects. The Handbook of Data Centers is a leading reference on design and implementation for planning, implementing, and operating data center networks.