The 10 Best SDN Solutions Of 2018 (So Far)

Hottest SDN Tech Of 2018

Software is front and center in the networking world this year as customers demand more programmable, agile and less costly network solutions.

The increasing adoption of cloud-based services and need to reduce data center complexity is driving sales for technologies such as software-defined WAN and intent-based networking. The global software-defined networking solutions and services market is projected to increase 54 percent on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next several years, reaching $88 billion by 2024, according to a research report by Global Market Insights.

CRN breaks down ten of the coolest and most sought-after software-defined networking technologies in the market so far in 2018.

(For more on the biggest news of 2018, check out "CRN's Tech Midyear In Review.").

byMark Haranas on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

Apstra AOS 2.2

Apstra launched a new version of its flagship intent-based networking AOS software this year with features including intent-based analytics. AOS 2.2 is a turnkey solution that lets users fully automate data center operations across the network regardless of customers' vendor mix, enabling the Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup's technology to automatically prevent and repair network outages. The new version has embedded big data analytics that allows operators to specify how they expect their network to operate and continuously validates the operator's intent, generating anomalies when it detects an irregularity. AOS 2.2 now supports multi-tenancy and enhanced inter-rack Layer 2 connectivity though Ethernet VPN which provides a scalable control plane.

byMark Haranas on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

Big Switch's SDN Cloud Fabric

Big Switch Networks introduced new support this year for VMware vSAN, Dell EMC ScaleIO and Nutanix hyper-converged solutions for its Big Cloud Fabric SDN switching fabric. Big Switch's data center software-defined networking solution delivers network automation, visibility for cloud-native applications and can complete fabric upgrades within minutes. The solution leverages an SDN-based leaf/spine fabric and open networking hardware to enable rapid provision of networks for scale-out deployments and high performance for large clusters. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor's Big Cloud Fabric has many successful use cases involving hyper-converged infrastructure, containerized workloads, OpenStack, and low latency VDI workloads.

byMark Haranas on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

Cisco Intent-Based Networking

Cisco has been investing heavily in its one-year-old intent-based networking platform in 2018 which now boasts 5,800 customers. CEO Chuck Robbins recently told CRN that Cisco's intent-based strategy -- which uses software to automate network policy and management -- is shifting more toward an open, software-defined architecture. The San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant is making DNA Center, the control and management plane for intent-based networking, an open platform to allow partners to develop custom applications and offer more SDN solutions for customers. Cisco also launched two new software systems, Network Assurance Engine and DNA Center Assurance, in 2018 to boost the platform's SDN capabilities.

byMark Haranas on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

Dell EMC VEP 4600

Doubling down on its open networking strategy, Dell EMC launched its x-86 based Virtual Edge Platformnetworking solution this year that uses Intel's Xeon D-2100 processor to connect the edge to the cloud. The VEP 4600 is a universal virtual networking CPE that Dell calls the ideal access platform for SD-WAN and virtual networking functions like routing and deep-packet inspection. The Round Rock, Texas-based infrastructure behemoth has validated three SD-WAN solutions on the platform: VMware's Velocloud, Silver Peak and Versa Networks. VEP 4600 began shipping in April and is priced at $1,500 in the U.S.

byMark Haranas on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

HPE Aruba SD Branch

In June, HPE Aruba introduced SD-Branch that combines new branch and headend gateways with existing HPE Aruba technology, including its ClearPass policy management, to form an integrated SD-WAN, WLAN, LAN and security solution. The new Aruba Branch Gateways are purpose-built using software developed in-house with integration top of mind. The gateways integrate with Aruba's recently enhanced Aruba Central cloud management platform to provide a single point for SD-WAN, wired and wireless networking, and policy enforcement. Aruba said SD-Branch enables customers to manage more branch locations with less staff while leveraging a consistent approach for security and compliance across locations.

byMark Haranas on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

Juniper Networks Contrail SD-WAN delivers a multi-cloud solution that enables customer to automate the WAN edge across virtual cloud endpoints and on-premises firewall or CPE platforms. The solution uses Juniper's Contrail Service Orchestration to design, secure, automate and run the entire service life cycle across Juniper networking products such as routers, gateways and other network platforms. In June, Juniper enhanced Contrail SD-WAN capabilities to add support for fine-grained Application Quality of Experience (AppQoE), offering visibility and management in individual application performance for more than 3,700 apps including Microsoft Outlook and Skype for Business. Customers can now tune application performance to and from the branch using Contrail's orchestration managed policies.

by on July 17, 2018, 3:26 pm EDT

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Nutanix Flow

As part of Nutanix's 2018 strategy to become a software-only vendor, the hyper-converged infrastructure pioneer launched a new software-defined networking product designed for multi-cloud environments: . Flow provides application-centric security to protect against internal and external threats that are undetected by traditional perimeter-oriented security products. The solution includes network provisioning and management automation, as well as native micro-segmentation services that govern traffic between individual applications to protect against threats. San Jose, Calif.-based Nutanix embed Flow into the company's flagship Enterprise Cloud OS.

https://www.crn.com/slide-shows/networking/300106641/the-10-best-sdn-solutions-of-2018-so-far.htm

Dell EMC Puts Open Networking on the Edge

Computing resources – including storage and networking – are continuing their march toward the network edge, drawn like a magnet to the rapidly proliferating connected devices in the world and the huge amounts of data that they’re generating that need to be collected, processed and analyzed. As we’ve talked about here at The Next Platform over the past few months, the distributed nature of computing, fueled by such drivers as the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT) and greater mobility, and the demand for capabilities like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and analytics to manage the data call for moving more infrastructure and software out of central datacenters and to the edge of the network. The rising costs in money and bandwidth in sending all traffic back to the datacenter are unsustainable, not with the increasing amounts of traffic that would need to make the journey and not with the amount of resources and effort vendors are putting in to build product portfolios that can bring the computing capabilities to the edge. However, what all that will look like is still coming into focus. It’s rapidly moving past gateways to include servers, networking and storage, automation software and technologies like machine learning to enable faster crunching of the data, driving analytics and sorting through the data to determine what can be processed at the edge, what needs to be sent back over the datacenter and what can be let go. Vendors like @Dell EMC, @Cisco and @Juniper are putting a lot of focus on enabling networks to handle the new and growing amounts of traffic and to deliver to an increasingly mobile workforce a connectivity experience that is equal to that in their corporate headquarters, whether they’re in an enterprise’s branch office, at home or one the road. “What’s playing out now is that the users are moving around all which ways, and different devices – wired, wireless, who knows where – and they’re increasingly accessing applications that the majority of which are not on-prem,” @Jeffrey Baher, director of product and technical marketing for Dell EMC’s Networking and Service Providers Solutions unit, told The Next Platform. “The bottom line is, the traffic profiles have changed, and the WAN has got to grow up and get to the next level. It needs to grow up and get to the next level in terms of performance and is effectively now the LAN. People are expecting the local area experience regardless of whether you’re in Starbucks or at home or at work. There’s no excuse, ‘I’ll send this to you when I get to my office because I don’t have enough bandwidth.’ It wasn’t that long when that was the issue, but now the expectation is that wherever I jack in – wired to wireless – I’m going to connect you to the Azure stack, AWS or whatever I need to do, and it won’t matter, and I won’t feel the pain of being wherever I am. And the workloads have moved around a lot, too. They’re very distributed, so now we need more software that can figure out where the user is, where the workload is and what’s the right path. It doesn’t make for me, here in Santa Clara, to have my traffic go to Texas, headquarters of Dell, to then get it routed back out when you realize that it’s moving into the cloud [or] to Box.” Dell EMC has been aggressive in pushing its technology to the edge. The company for several years has offered Intel-powered gateways designed to bring analytics, security and intelligence closer to IoT devices that are used in a broad array of industries, from manufacturing to agriculture. The gateways connect wired and wireless systems, aggregate and analyzes data, and then sends useful data to the cloud or datacenter. The vendor also includes the dense PowerEdge R430 and R640 systems in its edge portfolio. Both are 1U, two-socket systems running Intel chips and designed to fit in space-constrained environments, including datacenters and private clouds. The company this week is unveiling the Virtual Edge Platform (VEP) 4600, which leverages Dell EMC’s open networking strategy inside an Intel-powered universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) device that is designed to handle multiple workloads and move large numbers of packets.

https://www.nextplatform.com/2018/03/21/dell-emc-puts-open-networking-on-the-edge/

Dell EMC Networking Z9100-ON Z-Series Switch Review

The @DellEMC Networking #Z9100-ON Z-Series switch is a 1U fixed, 10/25/40/50/100GbE network switch built for the highest performance in mind. To move this beyond a marketing term, the Z9100-ON powered SCinet, which is commonly referred to as the “World’s Fastest Network.” The Dell EMC Z9100-ON Z-Series switch, along with the Dell EMC Networking S4048 S-Series 10GbE Switch, are both part of the latest additions making up the networking refresh of the StorageReview Enterprise Test Lab. And again, our review here both looks at the Z9100-ON Z-Series switch, while at the same time gives the reader a look into why and how we are integrating the switch into our lab.  Like a wide variety of Dell EMC gear, the Z9100-ON switch offers some customization that allows for greater flexibility. The switch has 128 ports on it and can be configured to have either 32 ports of 100GbE, 64 ports of 50GbE, 32 ports of 40GbE, 128 ports of 25GbE or 128 ports of 10GbE and two SFP+ ports of 10GbE/1GbE/100MbE. This can help consolidate rack space and/or aid in migration as a data center begins to move to 100Gbps. The switch also offers organizations a cost-effective method for transitioning to a software-defined data center. With performance, the Z9100-ON switch leverages non-blocking switching architecture and delivers L2 and L3 forwarding capacity, along with QoS and a full complement of standards-based IPv4 and IPv6 features. The switch also incorporates multiple architectural features that are stated to optimize data center network flexibility, efficiency and availability. The switch can deliver up to 6.4Tbps of switching I/O bandwidth (full duplex). The L2 multipath support is through Virtual Link Trunking (VLT). For this level of performance and ports, the use cases are still emerging. However, organizations in the process of Active Fabric implementation or small-scale Active Fabric implementation can benefit from the Z9100-ON switch as either a leaf or spine switch. The switch is also a great fit for use with high-performance SDN/OpenFlow 1.3.1 enabled with the ability to inter-operate with industry-standard OpenFlow controllers. And the Z9100-ON can be used as a high-speed VXLAN Layer 2 Gateway that connects the hypervisor-based overlay networks with non-virtualized infrastructure.

http://www.storagereview.com/dell_emc_networking_z9100on_zseries_switch_review

Plexxi HCN™, The Most Powerful Software-Defined Network, Now Available On Dell

NASHUA, N.H., Feb. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- @Plexxi, the leader in #HyperconvergedNetworking ( #HCN ), today announced support for @Dell Networking #Z9100-ON and #DellNetworking S4048-ON data center fabric switches. Plexxi HCN™ is a fully software-defined network operating environment designed for enterprise data centers requiring a network with cloud-like agility, world-class performance and low linear port cost. With Plexxi HCN, Dell customers now can scale data center networks flat and cost-effectively while still delivering unrestricted performance for all application workloads. With Plexxi HCN, Dell customers will be able to: Scale-out using Dell top-of-rack (ToR) switches without the need for dedicated spine switches and extra transceivers. Enjoy a seamless cloud experience where network resources are deployed in complete synchronization with application orchestration.  Deploy a single data center fabric on which all applications run at top performance, simultaneously, without complex traffic engineering. All workloads – one fabric Plexxi HCN enables customers with Dell Networking Switches to automatically tune the data center fabric to any mix of latency sensitive data base workloads and bandwidth-hungry storage workloads without compromise.  "Plexxi is setting the new standard for data center network technology and application awareness," said Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst at ESG. "This combination truly enables the modern data center transformation with none of the limitations or restrictions of old school networks." "With Plexxi HCN on Dell Networking switches, our customers can now deploy a single network that automatically optimizes for other Dell technologies, such as VMware vSAN, Dell XC, VxRail, VxRack and Dell iSCSI shared storage solutions, including VMAX and SC-series & Unity arrays," said Denis Vilfort, Vice President of Marketing at Plexxi. "Having this capacity while at the same time running Hadoop and Oracle or Microsoft SQL clusters side-by-side will empower enterprises to be nimbler, keeping their business highly competitive." Effortless cloud experience Featuring tight integration with VMware vCenter and Nutanix, Plexxi HCN delivers a smooth and seamless cloud experience with up to 200 percent more efficiency. "Making the right network technology choice for the data center fabric plays a critical role in any company's ability to build the next generation on-premise cloud. We're thrilled to offer the addition of the Dell Networking Z9100-ON and Dell Networking S4048-ON network switches to our hardware support list. Our customers now have more choices than ever of white-box or Open Networking switch hardware," said Rich Napolitano, CEO of Plexxi. "From the beginning, Plexxi has built a networking technology from the ground up with scalability and ease of use in mind, and one of the many reasons why businesses around the world are choosing Plexxi HCN to power their enterprise. Look for more supported devices in the future, as Plexxi continues to expand our open data center fabric offerings." New economics Unlike older 3-tier and 2-tier leaf and spine network designs, Plexxi HCN reduces network cost by up to 50 percent by collapsing network functionality into a single scale-out high-performance layer. With Dell switches powered by the Plexxi HCN software, Dell customers can now build advanced cost-effective networks from small 48-node clusters to 5,808-node large data center fabrics, all while maintaining low predictable port cost. "The Plexxi HCN architecture completely removes the overhead of deploying spine switches as they scale-out their modern data centers," adds Vilfort. "Thanks to the Plexxi distributed virtual spine technology, Dell customers can now build data center wide networks with a simple ToR switch. We have completely re-engineered how switches form a fabric and deliver performance and scale far beyond what anyone thought possible." Availability Dell Networking Z9100-ON and Dell Networking S4048-ON fully configured with Plexxi HCN fabric software is available now as a single package from Plexxi. For more information on how to purchase, contact the Plexxi sales team.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plexxi-hcn-the-most-powerful-software-defined-network-now-available-on-dell-300601867.html

Dell EMC Networking S4048 S-Series 10GbE Switch Review

Two of the latest additions to the @StorageReview Enterprise Test Lab are a matched pair of @DellEMC #S4048ON switches. The S4048-ON is a 1U Open Networking switch that incorporates 48 dual-speed 1/10GbE SFP+ ports alongside 6 QSFP+ uplink ports at 40GbE. The switch also supports breakout cables on each of the QSFP+ ports, increaseing the available 10G connectivity to a total of 72 ports. This review serves as an introduction to Dell EMC's S-Series switches while providing a look at the way the S4048 is being incorporated into our lab.  In August, we began publishing a series of pieces focusing on the StorageReview Enterprise Test Lab's evolving network fabric. Recent coverage of this network update includes reviews of the Dell Networking S3100 switch and the Sonicwall NSA 3600 firewall. We are adding the two Dell EMC S4048-ON switches to provide High Availability connectivity to devices requiring 10GbE networking in our lab environment. This include many of the Hyper-converged solutions on the market, where some like the Dell EMC VxRack Node, can require upwards of four 10G connections per node. The Dell EMC S4048-ON (and its 10GBaseT sibling the S4048T) can serve as an individual switch, but one of the strengths of the platform is the variety of options for deploying the S4048 into more complex networking environments. In addition to providing stacking and High Availability configurations with other S-Series switches, the S4048 can take advantage of Active Fabric support to place S-Series switches at the core of a two-tier, 1/10/40 GbE data center-scale architecture.

http://www.storagereview.com/dell_emc_networking_s4048_sseries_10gbe_switch_review

Dell EMC Networking Chosen for Eurofiber's DCspine to Enable IT Transformation

#DellEMCNetworking solutions to act as high-performance switching backbone for #Eurofiber's #DCspine platform DCspine delivers a virtual "meet-me-room", interconnects data centers via software-defined networking #Z9100ON switch Full story @DellEMCNetworking is helping Eurofiber provide a new method for data center interconnectivity as customers transform IT environments using cloud-oriented operations. @Eurofiber Group was founded in 2000 to create an intelligent, future-proof infrastructure, and has expanded ever since. At this moment, the network of almost 30,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cable and secure data centers covers the Netherlands and Belgium and stretches into Germany. Built upon Dell EMC Networking Z9100-ON open switches running Cumulus Linux, the Eurofiber DCspine delivers a fully-automated, scalable, high capacity data center interconnection platform based on the latest software defined network developments. DCspine helps customers connect to cloud services on demand. Emerging cloud-based services create a new technology ecosystem of interconnected data centers, networks and service providers offering new approaches to help customers to take full advantage of the cloud. With this architectural shift, data center interconnection services need to be faster, more scalable, agile and flexible than current offerings.  "We developed DCspine to capitalize on the need for flexible datacenter connectivity required for cloud services," said Bart Oskam, CTO of the Eurofiber Group. "Dell EMC enables DCspine to fully benefit from the advantages of software-defined networking building a future proof connectivity platform" "Eurofiber is breaking new ground with its DCspine initiative, creating a digital meet-point for enterprise customers and cloud resources through a new and innovative on-demand service offering," said Tom Burns, senior vice president, Dell EMC Networking, Enterprise Infrastructure & Service Provider Solutions. "We're excited to be working with Eurofiber, providing the Open Networking foundation for the DCspine initiative and turning this vision of transformation into reality." DCspine makes it as easy to cross-connect between data centers as if they were within a single location. DCspine offers online services for enterprise and cloud service providers operating from data centers. DCspine is available 24/7 via its portal with the flexibility to change or delete services at any time. DCspine characteristics include: High capacity up to 100G per connection Flexible contract terms All products available on more than 30 datacenters in The Netherlands Cloud providers are available to connect with on pre-configured ports Additional resources Connect with Dell EMC via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and ECN Find out more about how Dell Technologies is collaboratively solving customers' biggest challenges by visiting Dell Technologies' Annual Report to Customers About Dell EMC Dell EMC, a part of Dell Technologies, enables organizations to modernize, automate and transform their data center using industry-leading converged infrastructure, servers, storage and data protection technologies.  This provides a trusted foundation for businesses to transform IT, through the creation of a hybrid cloud, and transform their business through the creation of cloud-native applications and big data solutions.  Dell EMC services customers across 180 countries – including 98 percent of the Fortune 500 – with the industry's most comprehensive and innovative portfolio from edge to core to cloud. Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Dell EMC and the Dell EMC logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dell-emc-networking-chosen-for-eurofibers-dcspine-to-enable-it-transformation-300567091.html

Dell EMC Networking N1108P-ON review

#DellEMC is on a mission to bring #opennetworking (ON) to all walks of life and its #N1108P-ON switch delivers it to campus and SMB networks. The concept behind ON is to do away with vendor lock-in by giving businesses the choice of which OS and apps they want to run on their switches. Switches with proprietary firmware leave businesses at the mercy of vendors, as they'll release upgrades and new features whenever the mood takes them. @DellEMC removes this reliance; its rapidly-growing family of ON-ready switches support a wide range of 3rd-party @Linux OSes. The N1100 series of Layer 2 switches comprises six members, all supporting ON in hardware and offering a choice of Gigabit port densities. They currently come preloaded with Dell EMC's DNOS v6 firmware but are ready to run other Linux-based OSes as they become available.

http://www.itpro.co.uk/switches/29878/dell-emc-networking-n1108p-on-review

Dell open networking gets more 25 GbE switches, SD-WAN appliances

@DellEMC has added #SDWAN for the branch office to its open networking portfolio, while introducing faster switches that are most likely to appeal to cloud providers, carriers and large financial institutions. Dell EMC unveiled this week several hardware options for companies willing to use SD-WAN software from @SilverPeak Inc.,  @VeloCloud Networks Inc. or @VersaNetworks. The hardware selection includes a #Precision 5000 Series PC or #PowerEdge server. The choice of hardware within the Dell #opennetworking portfolio will depend on the amount of horsepower a company needs. Dell EMC support is responsible for fixing problems with the hardware or software, even if one of the SD-WAN vendors is called in for assistance, said Jeff Baher, the executive director of networking at Dell EMC. Dell EMC's strategy of one-vendor support for a multivendor product is different from most companies, which sell the SD-WAN software alone or running on their appliance. "It is definitely a novel approach," Rohit Mehra, an analyst at IDC, said of the Dell open networking strategy. "This allows them to make a play in this hot and exploding market." Indeed, revenues from SD-WAN infrastructure and services will rise nearly 70% a year to $8.05 billion in 2021, according to IDC. Companies moving business applications to public clouds and subscribing to software as a service are driving the booming SD-WAN market. The technology lowers the cost for companies connecting branch offices to the internet to reach cloud and SaaS applications. Dell EMC boosts switching performance Dell EMC's latest open switches include the 10/100 Gigabit Ethernet S4200-ON and the 25/100 GbE S5048 and S5148. Dell has switches at these speeds in its portfolio, but achieves better performance in the latest hardware through the use of Broadcom's most recent application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), dubbed Jericho. The Broadcom ASIC provides Dell with the technology to significantly increase the buffer in the S4200-ON -- ON stands for open networking. Also, the chipset makes it possible to support a more extensive routing table than other products in the Dell open networking portfolio. Therefore, the S4200-ON is better suited for handling east-west traffic within cloud computing and virtualized environments found in the mega-data centers of carriers, cloud providers and banks. The switch is also suitable for routing traffic between data centers, according to Dell.

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/news/450427761/Dell-open-networking-gets-more-25-GbE-switches-SD-WAN-appliances

Every analyst out there says that 25GbE will be the fastest growing bandwidth since 1GbE.  Why?  It’s not because of the speed, it’s because of the cost.  The entry price for 25GbE is already very close to that of 10GbE (gig for gig); and will likely hit parity very soon.   And, because it’s backwards compatible to 10GbE, it’s a no-brainer to future-proof now.   Right now #DELLEMC has the #Z9100 available – and with the 100GbE to 25GbE breakout cables – this is a great switch to use for this.   Very soon, we’ll have the #S5048 out (RTO 10/3), which means we’ll have 25GbE native ToR ports, so no need for breakouts.  Ask me how to get 100/25Gb ToR #Z9100@ <13k when bundled with #DellEMC #Poweredge #14GServers.  See more below!

 http://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/shared-content/data-sheets/en/Documents/25Gb-Ethernet-The-new-standard-for-data-center-connectivity.pdf

BT, Dell EMC Team on Disaggregated Switching R&D

ADASTRAL PARK, UK -- The agile, #programmabletelecoms networks of the future moved a step closer today as #BT and #DellEMC announced a research collaboration dedicated to validating a new way of managing network traffic. The proof-of-concept, which is taking place at the BT Labs in Adastral Park, Suffolk, will explore how disaggregated switching can create flexible networks which are more responsive to customer needs by using standard open network switches commonly found in data centers, coupled with specialist switching software. In contrast to the traditional integrated network switches currently used by operators and enterprises around the world, disaggregated switching uses merchant silicon based switching systems combined with either commercially available or open source system software. This represents a significant shift architecturally, applying server-like principles to the delivery of dynamic network services over fixed-line and wireless networks. BT is evaluating the performance of Dell EMC disaggregated switches against traditional integrated switching hardware to test the performance, economics and programmability of this new, virtualized approach, which is important as customers increasingly require more flexible, agile networks. Disaggregated switches have several potential advantages over traditional network switches, as they can be managed flexibly using Netconf protocol and YANG models. This makes the entire system inherently programmable and allows the switches to be operated in concert to spin up new network services or make configuration changes rapidly. BT will work with Dell EMC to evaluate a number of potential use cases as part of the trial as the company evolves its network strategy to maximize the benefits of SDN (software-defined networks), NFV (network functions virtualization) and programmable silicon. These include the instant activation of Ethernet circuits from a third party (such as an enterprise), and the ability of the system to deliver real-time network operational data. The platform also has the potential to deliver other programmable use cases such as bandwidth calendaring – flexing the bandwidth of an Ethernet circuit according to customer need via a predetermined calendar – and delivering network telemetry data to third parties automatically. Neil J. McRae, chief architect for BT said, “This proof-of-concept trial with Dell EMC will enable us to evaluate the performance of disaggregated switches against traditional integrated network switches, and make informed decisions about the role this kind of solution will play in the dynamic network services of the future. We’re determined to ensure that BT’s network continues to be world-class and able to deliver the services our customers need, when and how they need them. Agility and programmability, maximizing the benefits of SDN, are therefore key to our future network evolution.” “The service provider network of tomorrow cannot be built on yesterday’s technology,” said Tom Burns, senior vice president & general manager, Dell EMC Networking, Enterprise Infrastructure & Service Provider Solutions. “We’re energized and focused on collaborating with BT to drive innovation and help achieve their goals of enhancing network agility, flexibility and programmability to provide the high level of service their customers expect.”

http://www.lightreading.com/nfv/nfv-strategies/bt-dell-emc-team-on-disaggregated-switching-randd/d/d-id/735491

Dell EMC launches its first 'distributor-exclusive product line'

The #DellEMC Networking X-series will also become the vendor's first distributor-exclusive product line. The X-Series is a family of web-managed 1GbE and 10GbE switches, designed for SMBs. It has expanded its client incumbency programme for the commercial segment, claiming to be protecting partners' relationships with historical look-back for revenue and deal registration. #Virtustream has added its enterprise cloud solution platform to the partner programme, claiming to provide "customers with public cloud consumption with private cloud performance". The vendor also touted offering "flexible consumption models" through the channel with #CloudFlex, storage offering Flex on Demand and PC-as-a-service packages on certain product portfolios. It has also expanded 2017's Cloud Service Provider and Strategic Outsourcer track, alongside offering rebates based on sell-in revenues. "These developments underline Dell EMC's strategy to position its partners as strategic advisers that enterprises can trust," said Michael Collins, senior vice president, channel at Dell EMC EMEA. "We want our customers to know that Dell EMC's partner ecosystem is steadfastly committed to understanding their immediate and future business IT needs. "We believe that our latest updates to the Dell EMC Partner Programme make us the leading long-term technology provider of choice to help channel partners satisfy their customers and guide them along their IT infrastructure transformation journey," added Collins.
https://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn-uk/news/3014213/dell-emc-launches-its-first-distributor-exclusive-product-line

Dell EMC Networking Makes 'Distribution Exclusive' Commitment For Hot X Series Switches

#DellEMC is ratcheting up its networking technology offensive with a strategy to push its #XSeries network switch products exclusively through distribution. This is the first time Dell EMC has offered a product line through distribution exclusively. The program is beginning in North America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific/Japan, and will be global by the end of the year, according to Jim DeFoe, Dell EMC senior vice president of worldwide distribution. Dell EMC works with #TechData, #Arrow and #Ingram, among other distributors.

The arrangement is aimed at helping partners tap into cross-selling opportunities in the Dell Technologies portfolio. Mike Heintzelman, vice president of global vendors at Tech Data, said that fits neatly with the distributor's own strategies.

Related: CRN Exclusive: Tech Data Gives SMB-Focused Partners A Leg Up With New Pre-Configured Microsoft Azure-Based Cloud Server

"A lot of IT vendors bring their products through distribution. This demonstrates and reinforces Dell EMC's commitment to the channel," said Tech Data's Heintzelman. "We view them as a strategic vendor, and we see continued growth for us as a distributor with Dell EMC. This is one more piece to that puzzle and allows us to expand that relationship."

For Dell EMC, the strategy helps "give [distributors] the opportunity to make a splash with a much larger audience of partners than they might be able to themselves," Heintzelman said, adding that Tech Data has about 50 salespeople dedicated to Dell EMC.

Dell EMC's "open" approach to networking has been building momentum, and pushing the X Series switches through distribution is intended to capitalize on that momentum, DeFoe said. "Distribution is the fastest-growing part of our business, and we're looking to distribution to onboard all new partners," he said. "

Dell EMC Networking boss Tom Burns said even though the X Series is aimed squarely at the SMB or "small enterprise" market, the company is timing its acceleration through distribution at a time when the networking market is at "an inflection point" at which customers are looking for alternatives to legacy networking vendors like Cisco or HPE.

"We continue to have a relationship with Cisco, but it's also true that we know customers at times will want an alternative, and our real focus is on those disruptive areas around software-defined, around hyper-converged and converged, and around simplifying the campus," Burns said. "You'll see more and more investment in the portfolio and more and more investment in the channel to accelerate our growth above market. It's going to take time, but we feel good about our customer traction. The switch can't be the hold-up of all these new capabilities anymore."

Last year Dell EMC's switching business grew 7 percent while the market as a whole grew about 4 percent, Burns said. "Our data center business grew double digits, our campus business was low single digit. We see growth above market. In Q1, we grew 2.5 times the market. We grew close to 16 percent in our global solution portfolio," Burns said.

"We're seeing double-digit growth from our distribution business worldwide," DeFoe said. "We're seeing our distributors today being able to expand lines of business for us. If you look at EMC and their partners who had never done business with Dell, we're seeing very high penetration and increase of EMC storage tied to Dell servers where historically that partner had not sold Dell."

Dell EMC Networking's X Series switches have been shipping for about a year. The idea behind the series is simplicity. They use a simple GUI user interface and can be pre-configured via a USB port. To date, they've been most successful in SMB, education and retail markets, Burns said. The X Series also provides power to wireless access points, phones, cameras and other network devices with Power over Ethernet switches, and come in models from eight ports to 48 ports.
 

The new distribution strategy for the X Series comes barely more than a month after Dell EMC put pressure on networking competitors with a raft of new products introduced at the annual Dell EMC World conference in Las Vegas.

Those products include a 25-Gigabit Ethernet top-of-rack platform enabled for open networking, as well as a new 10/100-Gigabit Ethernet open networking top-of-rack switch, 100-Gigabit Ethernet fabric uplinks, and a 10/100-Gigabit Ethernet switching platform for campus environments.

The 10-Gigabit Ethernet and 25-Gigabit Ethernet platforms will run on a new version of Dell EMC's Linux-based OS10 operating system, which will be released as OS10 Enterprise Edition.

http://m.crn.com/news/networking/300087131/dell-emc-networking-makes-distribution-exclusive-commitment-for-hot-x-series-switches.htm?itc=most_pop

Dell EMC Announces New Open Networking Products

#DellEMC has unveiled new capabilities for their #OpenNetworking portfolio--switches designed offer an innovative disaggregated-hardware/software solution for data center networking. These new features and products were built to help customers transform their IT operations by lowering overall IT costs, attaining returns on investments more quickly, and delivering new digital capabilities.

S5100-ON and S4100-ON series

The new S5100-ON series is the company’s first 25GbE Open Networking switch. Dell claims performance gains equating to double the throughput of 10GbE switches for in-rack connectivity as well as native 25GbE support. The S5100-ON series switches are designed for 100GbE fabric connectivity, which significantly improves rack-to-rack (east-west) network traffic and ideal for Web 2.0 enterprises as well as cloud service providers that need to make the most of application and service performance.

Also announced is the new S4100-ON series, which is built to offer multifunctional, top-of-rack data center Open Networking switches optimized for high densities of 10GbE fiber/copper or Fibre Channel 8/16/32 server and converged local area networks LAN)/SAN within racks. All switches in this new line are equipped with high-performance 100GbE uplink ports for inter-rack communication.

Among the models in the S4100-ON series is the S4148U, a new unified switch for both Ethernet and Fibre Channel traffic and connecting to Dell EMC’s storage solutions. Dell EMC has designed this Open Networking switch to “pushes the upper limits” of Fibre Channel connectivity and is touted as the first optimized switch to support 32Gb Fibre Channel for those looking to further converge LAN/SAN operations. Dell EMC adds that, due to its “unique design,” customers can also deploy Ethernet top-of-rack and Fibre Channel switching in the same physical switch or further converge LAN/SAN using Fibre Channel-over-Ethernet.

Both S5100-ON and S4100-ON series are the first to ship Dell EMC’s new flagship networking operating system standard, OS10 Enterprise Edition. This new comprehensive version is built on open source technologies from the Linux Foundation and Open Compute Project, making it a modular and programmable network OS for both traditional networking and DevOps environments. 

In addition to its layer 2 and layer 3 networking functionality, OS10 Enterprise Edition enables customers to customize the software for different environments. Dell EMC indicates that users can integrate additional open source capabilities, add third-party Linux applications, or develop their own software via standard Linux and DevOps tools.

N1100-ON series

The new Dell EMC N1100-ON series is comprised of energy-efficient and cost-effective switches specifically designed for campus-type environments. Included in this family are a number of fanless switches available in both half- and full-width options, POE/POE+ and non-POE versions, as well as port configurations from 10/100/1000Mbps to 1/10GbE. The N1100-ON series switches are also designed to work well with Aerohive’s HiveManager NG, a next-gen cloud-based management solution that simplifies end-user wired and wireless access.

Built for small to medium size business environments, Dell EMC’s N1100 line support IoT initiatives and workforce transformations that help support a wireless-first work space so end users and access points get connected wherever they are located.

Dell EMC has also announced new Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) Advisory features:

A workshop to research the customer’s foundational requirements and provide design recommendations to implement NFV infrastructure solutionsProof of technology for a detailed on-site assessment of an operator’s infrastructure and operational environment as well as their readiness for the insertion of virtualized network nodesThe return on investment advisory, which delivers a detailed analysis on the key financial impacts that will result in the transformation to NFV and SDN

Availability

Dell indicated the following availability for their new products:

The Dell EMC S5100-ON series is expected to available in the third quarter of Dell Technologies’ 2018 fiscal yearThe Dell EMC S4100-ON series is expected to begin shipping select models in the second quarter of Dell Technologies’ 2018 fiscal year. Additional models will begin shipping throughout the yearThe Dell EMC N1100-ON series is expected to be available in the second quarter of Dell Technologies’ 2018 fiscal yearThe NFV Advisory Services are expected to be available in the second quarter of Dell Technologies’ 2018 fiscal yearThe IoT Technology Advisory Services are available now

http://www.storagereview.com/dell_emc_announces_new_open_networking_products

Dell EMC's newest switches will come with its open network OS

#Dell' s drive into #opennetworking accelerated on Monday with the announcement of the first switches to ship with #OS10, the company's network operating system that's based on open source. At #DellEMC World in Las Vegas, the company introduced two data-center switches running OS10 Enterprise Edition, an enhanced version of the open-source OS that Dell announced early last year.

The software is based on technologies from the #LinuxFoundation and the Open Compute Project and is already available through an extended beta to customers who already have hardware. The Enterprise Edition is a complete software platform, including Dell's networking stack, but its open-source foundation means it can be extended with third-party software, said Jeff Baher, Dell EMC's executive director, networking.

Dell was one of the earliest of the big vendors supporting open networking, a movement to separate hardware from software and some software components from others. The idea is to prevent lock-in to proprietary equipment, operating systems and interfaces.

 itworld

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Dell EMC's newest switches will come with its open network OSThe company will let customers buy the data-center switches with OS10 or add their own OS

By Stephen Lawson

Senior U.S. Correspondent, IDG News Service | MAY 8, 2017

Credit: Dell EMC

Dell's drive into open networking accelerated on Monday with the announcement of the first switches to ship with OS10, the company's network operating system that's based on open source.

At Dell EMC World in Las Vegas, the company introduced two data-center switches running OS10 Enterprise Edition, an enhanced version of the open-source OS that Dell announced early last year.

The software is based on technologies from the Linux Foundation and the Open Compute Project and is already available through an extended beta to customers who already have hardware. The Enterprise Edition is a complete software platform, including Dell's networking stack, but its open-source foundation means it can be extended with third-party software, said Jeff Baher, Dell EMC's executive director, networking.

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Dell was one of the earliest of the big vendors supporting open networking, a movement to separate hardware from software and some software components from others. The idea is to prevent lock-in to proprietary equipment, operating systems and interfaces.

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The company already sells switches that are compliant with ONIE (Open Network Install Environment), so customers can buy them without software and install third-party OSes from companies like Cumulus Networks and Big Switch Networks. The new gear is available that way, too.

OS10 is Dell's platform of the future, which over time will be the basis of all its network equipment and eventually computing and storage products, too. As the distinctions between those components blur, analysts say some enterprises and service providers will want a common OS to get the kind of flexibility that big cloud companies like Amazon and Google enjoy in their homegrown data-center infrastructure.

On Monday, the company announced the S5100-ON series, a line of in-rack switches based on OS10 with 25-Gigabit Ethernet ports. These are a match for the latest Dell EMC PowerEdge servers, which also have 25-Gigabit, the company said.

The 5100 line has 100-Gigabit Ethernet uplinks that are designed for fabrics that link racks in a data center for "east-west" network traffic. The 5100-ON series is expected to ship by the end of October, starting at approximately US$22,000 with OS10.

http://www.itworld.com/article/3195211/networking/dell-emcs-newest-switches-will-come-with-its-open-network-os.html

Aerohive Networks Channel Chief On 'Huge Progress' And Growth Through Dell Networking Partnership

#Aerohive Networks is seeing "huge progress" in its #Dellnetworking partnership with a "great trajectory" path ahead, said Aerohive's channel chief, Michael O'Brien. "You'll continue to see Aerohive invest in that relationship, and I believe that's mutual from the Dell folks," said O'Brien, vice president of global channel sales, in an interview with CRN. With market uncertainty lingering in the networking industry, Aerohive is one of the few vendors who has held a steady course, which O'Brien said has benefited the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based wireless specialist and its channel community. "Channel partners look at what going on in our competitors, look at what's going on at Aerohive and say, 'That ship has been on a steady course for awhile,'" he said. CRN talks to O'Brien about the progress of its Dell partnership, Aerohive's services push in 2017 and his channel vision.
http://m.crn.com/slide-shows/networking/300084668/aerohive-networks-channel-chief-on-huge-progress-and-growth-through-dell-networking-partnership.htm?itc=most_pop

A look at Dell switches that can support networks of all sizes

The low-end #Dell #N1500, #N3000 and #N4000 series, as well as the advanced #DellZSeries, provide a range of switch products for smaller enterprises and large campus networks.

#DellNetworking offers an array of enterprise-class networking products, including routers, switches, firewalls, wireless access points and SAN switches. The company has also partnered with #Aerohive to offer #HiveManager NG, an intuitive and flexible cloud-based wired and wireless management product that can oversee both #Dellswitches for campus environments and Aerohive access points.

In addition, Dell is making a push into open networking with some of it products. Open networking switches allow for automation and orchestration, and they are a precursor to software-defined networking.

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/feature/A-look-at-Dell-switches-that-can-support-networks-of-all-sizes

Pica8 Extends 100G White Box Switch Portfolio With Dell

#Pica8 Inc., the one-stop source for white box networking, today announced that it has extended its white box switch portfolio with the addition of #Dell’ s #Z9100-ON 100-Gigabit Ethernet switch. This brings to five the number of 100-Gigabit white box and “brite box” switches supported by Pica8’s PicOS™, including switches from #EdgeCore Networks, #HPE, and #Inventec. In the Edge-Core switch lineup, customers have their choice of models powered by either #Broadcom’ s Tomahawk chip or #Cavium’ s #XPliant chip.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/pica8-extends-100g-white-box-120300314.html

Coriant Collaborates with Inphi and Dell EMC to Demonstrate Open Line System Interconnect Application at OFC 2017

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- #Coriant, a global supplier of #SDN -enabled end-to-end packet optical networking and DCI solutions, today announced it has teamed with Inphi Corporation, a leader in high-speed data movement interconnects, and #DellEMC, a leading networking and Internet of Things ( #IoT ) infrastructure solutions provider, to demonstrate an 80km direct detect interconnect application at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) in Los Angeles from March 21-23. The demonstration showcases the operational value of open, plug-and-play optical layer configuration flexibility as high-bandwidth cloud applications drive increased demand for 100G+ Data Center Interconnect (DCI) and other DWDM transport applications. Reinforcing the benefits of an open ecosystem, the best-in-class technology demonstration features interoperability between the 1RU Coriant Groove™ G30 Open Line System (OLS), Inphi ColorZ™ PAM4 QSFP28 DWDM platform solution, and Dell EMC Networking’s Z9100-ON multi-rate Top of Rack (ToR) switch. The combined solution showcases how Communication Service Providers (CSPs), Internet Content Providers (ICPs), and data center operators can significantly lower the cost of interconnect with industry-leading low power, high density, and ease of deployment capabilities purpose-built for hyperscale traffic demands.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170316005163/en/Coriant-Collaborates-Inphi-Dell-EMC-Demonstrate-Open

Aquantia Delivers Next Generation Multi-Gig Connectivity to Dell EMCs N-Series Family of Campus Switches

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquantia Corp., pioneer and market leader in high-speed Ethernet connectivity solutions for data centers and enterprise infrastructure, today announced that #DellEMC Networking has selected the company's industry leading #multiGig #AQrate® PHY products for its new N-Series family of #OpenNetworking campus switches. The digital workplace places crushing capacity demands on campus networks. The latest generation IEEE 802.11ac WiFi Access Points (APs) can drive a total throughput up to 5Gbit/s of data for wired transport between the APs and the wiring closet switches. However, more than 90% of the installed cables within today's enterprise and campus environments use legacy twisted-pair copper cables, such as Cat5e and Cat6, only designed for 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). Replacing the existing cables in the walls and ceilings is highly disruptive and expensive. Foreseeing this wired infrastructure bottleneck, Aquantia developed AQrate to deliver up to 5Gbit/s throughput over 100m of Cat5e/Cat6 cables. Aquantia and major industry players co-founded the NBASE-T Alliance to further develop and promote the technology. In September 2016, this multi-Gig technology was formally approved as the IEEE 802.3bz standard. Aquantia's AQrate product line - with single, dual and quad-port configurations - is the only PHY technology in mass production today enabling network scaling to both 5 and 2.5GbE on Cat5e and Cat6 cabling infrastructure. "Digital transformation and the increasing reliance on wireless networks creates a real need for next-generation network infrastructure," said Jeffrey Baher, senior director, Product and Technical Marketing, Dell Networking. "Working with Aquantia, our goal is to help customers future proof investments by implementing higher-speed 2.5 and 5G multi-gig switch solutions with greater capabilities and confidence." "Aquantia is honored to have the opportunity to work with Dell EMC and its new N-Series family of Open Networking campus switches," said Faraj Aalaei, Chairman and CEO of Aquantia. "By combining our AQrate technology with Dell EMC's Open Networking systems, we can help unlock unmatched choice and capability when it comes to end-user and campus networks. This design win is another example of Aquantia's traction in the rapidly expanding enterprise market, which further solidifies our position as a leading supplier of high-speed Ethernet connectivity solutions."

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aquantia-delivers-next-generation-multi-gig-connectivity-to-dell-emcs-n-series-family-of-campus-switches-300388855.html

Accton/Edgecore Switches Certified to Run Pluribus Network OS

#PluribusNetworks is adding #Accton /#Edgecore to the list of white-box network switch makers that can run its #Linux -based network operating systems. Pluribus officials announced Sept. 20 that Accton/Edgecore's AS5712-54X 10 Gigabit Ethernet and AS6712-32X 40GbE white-box switches, which are based on designs from the Facebook-led Open Compute Project (OCP), are now certified to run the vendor's Open Netvisor Linux ( #ONLV ) distributed switch OS. Through the certification, Accton/Edgecore becomes part of the Pluribus-Certified ecosystem of vendors whose products can run Pluribus' software. "The combination of Pluribus Networks' software and Accton/Edgecore white box hardware offers enterprises a networking fabric that scales to support modern workloads and supports virtualization, converged infrastructures, IoT [internet of things] and containers," George Tchaparian, CEO of Edgecore Networks, which is part of the Accton Group, said in a statement.
http://mobile.eweek.com/networking/acctonedgecore-switches-certified-to-run-pluribus-network-os.html