Dublin-headquartered Intune Networks has released what it claims is the first ever distributed switch to extend software defined networks (SDN) across carriers’ infrastructure.
The system is capable of extending software defined networks across hundreds of miles, says Intune, using a "unique optical packet switching fabric, will allow carriers and large IT users to extend SDN beyond the data centre and to unify distributed computing resources over long distances".
The SDN capability is being added to Intune’s unique iVX8000 system, which has the characteristics of a local switch distributed across a large area, replacing multiple switches and transport devices with a single network element. Intune will be adding an open interface to the existing iVX8000 platform that allows external standards-based controllers to populate the forwarding fabric of the system.
"In order to distribute the switching function," said John Dunne, chief technology officer, Intune, "we have already separated the control, management and data planes across ports that are hundreds of miles apart, so allowing them to be controlled by SDN is a logical next step. Using a distributed switching system means the deployment of SDN across the wide area becomes as simple as deploying it across a single LAN switch."
SDN is an open standards-based framework that provides a common language for both network and IT resources, allowing the unification of services across both network and IT domains. The technology is already gaining traction within large data centres, with the likes of Cisco and Juniper setting out SND strategies for their respective offerings.
"SDN has the potential to transform carriers’ business models, turning their networks into huge unified computing resources. Current network architectures add massive amounts of complexity to SDN once it leaves the confines of a local data centre. Intune have created a way of solving that problem and expanding SDN across the entire network, said Richard Brandon, chief marketing officer, Intune.
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