Photos: VMworld 2012

SAN FRANCISCO -- VMworld -- When you can get 22,000 people to show up to a U.S. conference during the last week of summer break, that's clout.

VMworld was larger last year, people tell us, but VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) decided to split the conference, with a Barcelona half coming in September. Meanwhile, the U.S. portion packed the halls and exhibit floor at Moscone Center here, showing the extent to which network virtualization has overtaken enterprise IT.

Software-defined networking (SDN) was definitely part of the chatter, although it didn't take over the show. Give it time. The Nicira Networks Inc. acquisition is just a few days old. (See VMware to Buy SDN Startup for More Than $1B and VMware Insists It's Not Warring With Cisco.)

Click the photo below to launch the slideshow.

Full House

Are they excited to be at VMworld? They sure look it.

— Craig Matsumoto, Managing Editor, Light Reading