Open Network Featured Article

The Open Compute Project recently got a shot in the arm with a new development from IP Infusion (News - Alert). The company brought out a new release called OcNOS, a complete network operating system, that now supports the Edgecore Networks line of open network switches. That means OcNOS is now backing the largest source of network designs for the Open Compute Project, and gives open networking in general a lot to be happy about.

OcNOS is currently available for the Edgecore AS5812-54X system, a switch built around Broadcom's StrataXGS Trident (News - Alert) II+ system, along with the Edgecore AS7712-32X, which is build around the StrataXGS Tomahawk. OcNOS itself, meanwhile, is both modular and disaggregated, meaning that it has more versatility to work in different situations. It's optimized to work in both physical and virtual operations, and not only boasts support for IP / MPLS routing, but also has a focus on security sufficient to make putting it into place worthwhile. Since the software architecture was built to be extensible, it makes it easier to alter the system according to the network's needs on the ground. All of these together add up to a system that's not only scalable, but also resilient, which makes it a valuable potential addition to a company's open networking operations.

Edgecore Networks (News - Alert) CEO George Tchparian commented “Today’s new approaches in open networking, SDN, and NFV are enabling cloud service providers, telecom service providers and enterprises to exploit next-generation data center designs that deliver more services, at lower costs, in faster timeframes. Edgecore is pleased to be collaborating with IP Infusion to offer customers the new OcNOS network operating system on Edgecore’s open networking switches, as a robust, high function NOS for these new cloud and telecom infrastructures.”

It's the eternal balance of a computing operation; hardware requires software to be anything more than a pricey paperweight, and software requires hardware to be anything more than lines of code. With OcNOS, users get access to better overall capability, and a means to turn their hardware into something a lot more potent. The scalability is important enough by itself; being able to add to a system as it's needed, or pull points from a system that aren't needed anymore, is a valuable trait to have. Throw in resiliency that helps ensure the network is active when it's needed most and the ability to alter it to address future developments and the end result is a platform that's worth putting in place.

OcNOS may well be a game changer for some companies looking to better open up networking operations, thanks to its range of support and its variety of applications. Now that it's out and working with switches, meanwhile, companies have the opportunity to find out for themselves if that's the case.