Extreme Networks, Inc. announced several initiatives that broaden its portfolio of SDN offerings for data centres, clouds, mobile carrier networks and campuses. Extreme Networks will provide OpenFlow support across its ExtremeXOS®-based Ethernet switch portfolio and will support multiple OpenFlow controllers including NEC and BigSwitch. The company will introduce a plug-in for OpenStack to manage network switches using the Quantum APIs. Lastly, a new Web portal called xKIT will be launched, aimed at sharing SDN applications.
Extreme Networks portfolio of high performance Ethernet switches and the ExtremeXOS® operating system today offer a variety of programmability options including APIs, SDKs, and purpose built applications, including XNVTM, for centralising network intelligence, network abstraction and third party application development. Today’s announcements broaden and reinforce Extreme Networks commitment to SDN.
By enabling OpenFlow across its line of Ethernet network switches, application developers can build SDN applications for campus, cloud and carrier networks using a consistent framework powered by ExtremeXOS. Additionally, by supporting multiple controllers, Extreme Networks offers customers a set of choices when it comes to their SDN deployment. The OpenFlow capabilities described above will be available to new and existing customers with active support agreements in July 2012.
“Creating private clouds is a top 10 IT initiative for 2012. However, these rapidly scaling and dynamic environments create significant challenges for legacy networks,” said Bob Laliberte, senior analyst for ESG. “Software Defined Networks hold significant promise to overcome those issues and enable new applications and services to be delivered. Extreme Networks’ SDN announcement demonstrates its commitment to deliver to its customers a foundation for open and programmable network environments to better meet cloud computing requirements.”
OpenStack offers an open, community-driven platform for centralised orchestration. Bringing network switches into the realm of orchestration is a logical next step for Extreme Networks in its continual evolution towards open technologies and cloud scale networks.
Extreme Networks will also provide a new application and knowledge base portal called xKIT for sharing applications so that customers and application developers can more rapidly address evolving network challenges. xKIT will become available in July 2012.
“An SDN approach that provides network abstraction, centralised intelligence and programmability is fundamental to addressing the fast evolving challenges associated with mobility, cloud sourcing and the consumerisation of IT”, said Shehzad Merchant, Vice President of Technology Strategy. “The benefits of an SDN approach are applicable across the cloud, campus and carrier networks.”