Monday, March 4, 2013

Mellanox Pushes Open Ethernet for SDN

Mellanox Technologies is launching a "Generation of Open Ethernet" initiative to extend the power of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and serve as an alternative approach to traditional closed-code Ethernet switches.


Mellanox Open Ethernet aims to eliminate proprietary software and encourages the development of an ecosystem environment focused on building Ethernet switch software to move innovation forward. Open Ethernet also includes the capability to fully customize, through the open code, a variety of open source management software packages, support standard OpenFlow controllers, and more. Open Ethernet is supported on Mellanox’s 10/20/40/56GbE switches, with forward compatibility to future Mellanox Ethernet solutions.

"The current landscape of proprietary Ethernet switches limits the foundation of compute and storage clouds and Web 2.0 infrastructures. We are excited to facilitate change and to lead the new generation of Open Ethernet that will enable a more open and collaborative world,” said Eyal Waldman, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Mellanox Technologies. “Mellanox Open Ethernet allows users to gain control of their network and data center, and to achieve higher utilization, efficiency and return on investment, and will enable our customers to add differentiation and competitive advantages in their networking infrastructure. We have been seeing wide and strong support for this initiative from our partners and users, and expect to see a growing community around our initiative."