Virtualization is only as flexible as its weakest link, and the weak link in the data center is networking hardware. With that in mind, Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert) (HP) just announced a new, open-standards-based software defined networking solution, its Virtual Cloud Networking SDN application and new FlexFabric data center 7900 switches with its recently announced HP Helion OpenStack offering.
Software defined networking (SDN) virtualizes the networking infrastructure used to transport data within the data center, enabling a more flexible computing environment. With SDN, not only servers but also the networking that connects it can be configured and adapted as demands require.
While setting up a virtual machine might only take seconds or minutes, often preparing the right networking gear for the deployment can take a week or more. But SDN changes all that.
“Our customers are looking to the cloud for business agility and efficiency that will ultimately drive revenue, but this is hindered by the complexity and disjointed architecture plaguing data center networks today,” said Antonio Neri, senior vice president and general manager of networking at Hewlett-Packard, said in a statement. “In helping modernize our customers’ networks and transition to a cloud environment, HP is focused on software for the flexibility it brings. Cloud as it’s meant to be can’t be accomplished without SDN.”
HP’s new Cloud Networking SDN application helps to meet the scalability demands to implement private and hybrid clouds. Helping to prepare a cloud and SDN-ready infrastructure, the new 7900 switch series combines the virtual and the physical as a unified resilient fabric to ensure network visibility, availability and support of changing workloads, according to the company. The application is designed for multi-tenant cloud providers and network-as-a-service offerings, and intended to add to the Neutron networking layers of OpenStack.
HP is not the only big firm moving on the promise of SDN; Cisco (News - Alert), Alcatel-Lucent, Juniper and Arista Networks also are pushing SDN.
The HP Virtual Cloud Networking SDN Application will be available in August as a part of the HP Helion OpenStack, and the 7900 switches are available immediately.
The 7900 FlexFabric switches are built on open standards, such as OpenFlow, support VXLAN and NVGRE tunneling technologies, and in a 2U form factor can scale up to 48 40G ports, according to HP. The switch supports full Layer 2 and Layer 3 features, nonblocking Layer 2/3 Clos and delivers up to 3.84Tbps switching capacity across four interface module slots.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson