Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) today announced the Brocade SDN Controller 2.0, a commercial distribution of the OpenDaylight (ODL) controller based on the Lithium ODL release, and two new software-defined networking (SDN) applications - Brocade Topology Manager and Brocade Flow Manager. These new solutions reinforce Brocade’s leadership in open source SDN, providing greater innovation, interoperability and choice while eliminating vendor lock-in for customers.
Brocade’s latest open source SDN controller distribution delivers enhancements to meet data centre requirements for improved interoperability and orchestration including:
Enhancements to the Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB) interface and the OpenStack Modular Layer 2 plug-in (certified in Red Hat’s Juno distribution) enabling cloud providers to completely use an open software stack to manage their data centre infrastructure
OpenDaylight clustering for improved scalability and stability
A new user interface for applications to provide a consistent and intuitive view of the network under control
New SDN applications complement this latest release of the Brocade SDN Controller. The Brocade Topology Manager, a free SDN application, displays discovered network topology, allowing administrators to create a list of nodes and conduct simple searches for nodes. The Brocade Flow Manager extends the capabilities of the Brocade Topology Manager by enabling users to view and interact with the network topology using near-real-time information to perform traffic engineering and network segmentation based on end-to-end flow views. In addition, the new Brocade SDN Controller supports the recently-announced Brocade Flow Optimizer to intelligently manage traffic flow and proactively mitigate network attacks.
Ninety percent of respondents in a recent survey conducted by Heavy Reading said that a truly open SDN controller with support for multiple vendors is an essential or important factor in SDN deployment plans. The same survey ranked the lack of in-house SDN expertise as the third biggest obstacle in implementing SDN.
“Brocade’s strategy is driven by the very close collaboration we have with our leading service provider and enterprise customers to deliver unique networking products and solutions that speed their transition to the New IP, and software is increasingly central to that pursuit,” said Kelly Herrell, senior vice president and general manager, Software Networking, Brocade. “Delivering open solutions like the Brocade SDN Controller 2.0 and related applications, packaged with a full complement of education and services, will facilitate the smooth journey to SDN for customers worldwide.”
The Brocade SDN Controller is continuously built from OpenDaylight code, free of proprietary extensions. Brocade provides multi-vendor compatibility testing and complete, single-source support for Brocade SDN Controller environments. Brocade and its partners provide a range of support, education, and professional services options. Brocade Professional Services provides consulting expertise to assist with SDN architectural planning, implementation and development efforts. Brocade education courses, available in multiple formats, provide the conceptual foundation and skills that IT organizations need to adopt SDN successfully. Through Brocade online communities, end users and developers can download the Brocade SDN Controller; access community forums, documentation and the Brocade Technical Assistance Center; share use cases, tutorials and code samples as well as learn about the latest developments in networking-related open source projects.
“Brocade’s approach to bringing open SDN solutions to its customers is unique,” said Paul Parker-Johnson, principal analyst for cloud and virtual system infrastructures at ACG Research. “By basing its controller on OpenDaylight software, and adding its own validation, professional support and educational services to streamline adoption, Brocade is delivering a well-curated SDN platform to its customers. The company is also adding visibility and intelligence to managing SDN deployments with value-added applications, like the Brocade Flow Manager, that are built using open software frameworks their customers are looking for.”
