Tech companies are making their solutions more cloud-friendly to embrace growing demands. It’s no secret that doing business in the cloud has its advantages, but some solutions weren’t quite ready for the transition and a few changes were needed to make the switch. Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert) recently did a makeover on its Comware operating system to work better in the cloud.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a new architecture for computer networks expected to enable a comfortable cloud migration. Hewlett-Packard engineers have worked to bring more functionality with SDN and their products, while also enabling the
use of MPLS when integrating with communications networks.
According to this
article, the company recently unveiled plans to introduce new features, including Ethernet virtual interconnect (EVI) and multitenant device context (MDC). These features fit nicely in the company’s plan for virtual application networks and a new architecture they’re rolling out called FlexNetwork.
HP shares similarities with other companies that have embraced OpenFlow in that they too want to deviate from the forwarding plane, which is why it recently made its intelligent management controller (IMC) the control plane in its data center switches. The IMC manages the access to resources in networking between networks.
At the same time, the IMC software will do what Nicira’s NVP controller does for OpenvSwitch virtual switches. But the IMC also plugs into vCenter management consoles as well as the ESXi virtual switch.
The program engineered by HP, which uses templates integrated with n-tier applications, can control virtualized network resources. And because the
switches designed by HP support OpenFlow, companies don’t have to make a choice to run either Virtual Application Networks (VAN) or OpenFlow, they can do whichever they choose.
Virtual LANs that run single switches have a common database within the switch itself. HP’s EVI and MDC are also internal. These new capabilities are being introduced in the 12500 switch, but will likely be introduced to other devices including top-of-rackers.
What is likely to attract companies to HP’s new solution is that multiple departments within a company can share a single switch while keeping their VLANs in isolation. The Comware 7.0 software is also helping to deal with getting many
data centers connected.
It can take months for providers to implement MPLS and VPLS solutions that are used to interconnect data centers, which is why the Comware solution
looks so enticing. Going with an MPLS or a VPLS solution requires separate software licenses, which combined are much more costly than a 12500 switch alone.
The 12500 switches also have an extension in the Layer 2 routing functions that can make eight of the switches into a Layer 2 switch with geographical distribution powers. Given the growing demand for quick accessibility to data storage and management, the need for extensive routing with MPLS capabilities will continue to grow.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.
Edited by Jamie Epstein