F5 to Acquire LineRate Systems for SDN Application Layer Platform

F5 Networks agreed to acquire LineRate Systems, a start-up targeting software defined networking (SDN), for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on F5's operating results.

LineRate Systems, based near Boulder, Colorado, provides software that offers layer 7+ network services. LineRate’s early-stage, application layer platform leverages commodity x86 hardware and uses a proxy-based architecture similar to F5's BIG-IP.

F5 said the LineRate acquisition aligns with F5’s vision for application control plane architecture and goal of delivering application-layer SDN services to bring superior agility, application intelligence, and programmability to software defined data centers.

"F5’s vision is to enable application-layer SDN services for software defined data centers, providing our customers with unprecedented automation, orchestration, and control,” said Karl Triebes, EVP of Product Development and CTO at F5. "Extreme scale of applications, infrastructure, and services will be vital to SDN, core to F5, and the key to customers realizing the benefits of software defined data centers. LineRate’s programmable network capabilities and innovations in layer 7 will bolster our efforts to extend F5’s market leadership in these areas, and we are very pleased to welcome the LineRate team to F5.”

http://lineratesystems.com/
https://devcentral.f5.com/blogs/us/f5-application-layer-sdn-now-with-extreme-programmability