Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Telefónica Tests Network Functions Virtualization with Brocade

Telefónica has conducted a series of tests with Brocade's Vyatta 5600 vRouter aimed at benchmarking the performance range service providers can expect from virtualized, software-based networking infrastructure. The establishment of NFV benchmarks is part of a joint effort by both companies within the Telefónica NFV Reference Lab framework.

In the tests performed by Telefónica, the Brocade Vyatta 5600 vRouter achieved 80 Gbps on a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Intel-based x86 server. Deployed within a Red Hat KVM environment, the Brocade Vyatta 5600 was deployed as a single Virtual Machine (VM) and supported all of the server's available ports at line rate. Released in early 2014, the Brocade Vyatta 5600 is a purpose-built NFV solution offering advanced routing, firewall, and VPN functionality.

"The promise of NFV is rapid service creation and highly elastic scalability. While virtualization is significant to achieving this agility, it has historically been the fundamental limiter to the kind of performance required for scalability," said Enrique Algaba, Network Innovation and Virtualization Director at Telefónica.

"In less than two hours, we deployed the Brocade Vyatta 5600 vRouter from a memory stick and completed our performance tests in our NFV Reference Lab. These results are allowing us, as network operators, to aggressively change our perspective regarding what is possible with software-driven networking in order to accelerate the adoption and deployment of these revolutionary technologies," said Francisco-Javier Ramón, Head of Telefónica NFV Reference Lab.

Brocade also noted that its vPlane™ technology enables the Vyatta 5600 vRouter to leverage Intel Xeon processor-based servers and the Intel Data Plane Development Kit.

The next update to the Brocade Vyatta 5600 vRouter will further advance the NFV solution's capabilities by adding:

  • Layer 3 MPLS
  • Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol Version 3 (L2TPv3)
  • High-availability enhancements to support IPv6
  • OpenDaylight integration through NETCONF/YANG


http://www.brocade.com/NFV

In June, Brocade outlined the first phase of a long-term corporate strategy to develop an open and modular networking platform for cloud and telecommunications service providers.

The Brocade Vyatta Platform, which is the first phase this strategy, encompasses proven Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and emerging SDN technologies based on open standards and open source initiatives. It utilizes established core components, including as the Brocade Vyatta vRouter and Brocade vADX products, along with the open source software projects such as OpenDaylight and OpenStack.

The architecture of the Brocade Vyatta Platform is comprised of three core layers: NFV Connection Services, SDN Structural Services and Functional Orchestration. Each layer of this open architecture is modular and enables customers to select the products and/or solutions that fit their particular data center requirements:
  • NFV Connection Services: Deploy Layer 3-7 network functionality with the Brocade Vyatta vRouter and the Brocade vADX products, along with service chains including third-party elements where needed.
  • SDN Structural Services: Leverage the rapid advancements of the multivendor OpenDaylight Project to simplify management through centralized control.
  • Functional Orchestration: Engage a vast range of capabilities from OpenStack and widely interoperable third-party provisioning and orchestration layers.
Communication between the layers utilizes transparent standards-based protocols and methods, including REST APIs and the NETCONF/YANG model, to ensure configuration interoperability.  

Brocade Supplies High-Performance Cloud Fabric for NZ's AO Cloud

New Zealand-based AO Cloud Ltd has selected Brocade's VCS Fabric technology and data center architecture for a new wave of "convergent cloud" solutions.

Specifically, AO Cloud has deployed Brocade VDX 6740 Switches in its data centers to create single-layer 10 GbE fabrics. The fabrics are automatically aware of all devices (servers, switches, appliances) within their domain, and AO Cloud can add and remove switches from any VCS fabric without manual configuration. Virtual Machine (VM) network automation features are intrinsic to the fabric and are also hypervisor-agnostic.  To extend VM awareness and mobility between data centres, AO Cloud has also deployed Brocade NetIron CER 2000 Series high-performance routers that support Layer 2 VPN connections between sites. In common with the Brocade VDX switches, the new routers feature Software-Defined Networking (SDN) capabilities based on the OpenFlow standard, providing greater programmatic control over the network.

"AO Cloud is differentiating its cloud services offering with a new network architecture we have branded 'convergent cloud.' Our plans always encompass fast compute and storage facilities that could talk to multiple production data centres, capable of isolating customer traffic in VLANs and producing an extremely secure environment," said Jeff Herbert, Director, AO Cloud Ltd.

"For this we needed the highly scalable capabilities of Brocade Ethernet fabrics. We also wanted to provision the network for SDN capabilities to facilitate drag-and-drop capabilities for VLANs between data centres, and prepare to write our own SDN software to modify new connections as homogenous across the network. For this we needed an active-active data centre environment to host resilient managed services. It had to be Brocade," added Herbert.

Brocade said active-active data centre architectures support real-time synchronization and load balancing of applications and their data between two or more cloud data centers, enabling service delivery from any or all of them. This approach makes location another virtualized layer in the service cloud. AO Cloud is leveraging the SDN capabilities of Brocade routers and switches to help its customers design and self-provision secure Layer 2 VPNs within the cloud built around multiple data centres.

"The automated fabric environment that AO Cloud has constructed provides a key technical benefit of allowing it to manage customer services, rather than focusing on managing infrastructure," said Gary Denman, Senior Director for Australia and New Zealand at Brocade. "Not very long ago, the concept of virtual machine mobility between data centers was just a theory, but AO Cloud is now leveraging it to offer a range of services with strong value-add. I believe this is very much a sign of how the cloud will deliver business services in the future."

http://newsroom.brocade.com/press-releases/brocade-fabric-innovates-high-performance-data-cen-nasdaq-brcd-1136720#.U_QdxfldX5w
http://www.aocloud.co.nz/

Viatel Announces €125 Million Expansion in Metro Nets + Data Centers

Viatel, which operates metro fiber networks and data centers in Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Paris, Rotterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Lyons, Bordeaux and Marseilles, announced a €125 million expansion.

Over the coming year, Viatel will invest in extending its fiber infrastructure, cloud services and data centres, and will execute on a stream of acquisitions, supported by newly announced funding partner, Proventus Capital Partners.

"This is an exciting time for Viatel" says company CEO, Colm Piercy, "While we already connect 150 data centres and thousands of multinational enterprises and organisations across Western Europe, this investment will now enable us to enhance our services and to extend our reach further and deeper within Europe, and to connect new locations in the USA, Canada, the Middle East and Asia" he adds.
Already one of the largest owners of transcontinental duct and fibre across Europe, Viatel also offer a wide portfolio of voice and managed services, and operate an extensive data centre estate.

"Proventus Capital Partners is committed to working with dynamic and growth oriented businesses throughout Europe. In Viatel, we have found an exciting mix of opportunity and capability and we look forward to working closely with management to develop the company's true potential" comments Henrik Bjerklin, Investment Director with Proventus Capital Partners.

Viatel also owns over 8,500km of duct and fibre optic network infrastructure connecting 8 countries, 35 primary cities, 150 data centres and thousands of mid and large sized enterprises.

http://www.viatel.com/news/press-releases/viatel-to-invest-%E2%82%AC125-million/


Cumulus Hits Milestone: 1 Million Switch Ports Worldwide

Cumulus Networks announced a big milestone for its Linux operating system for data center networking: well over 1 million switch ports worldwide.

The company said its customers range in size from webscale to small business across many industries.

Cumulus Networks now supports 16 hardware platforms, two CPU architectures and five hardware vendors.

“Just over a year ago, we brought the transformational impact of Linux out of the data center and introduced it to networking, and enterprises have responded well to its promise of breaking vendor lock-in, increasing performance and significantly reducing hardware costs,” said JR Rivers, co-founder and CEO, Cumulus Networks. “Our continued expansion is a testament to the growing demand in the industry for solutions that empower more choice, ease and flexibility within their data centers. It is now just as easy to choose Cumulus Linux as it is any other solution, and customers are overwhelmingly deciding against vendor lock-in.”

http://cumulusnetworks.com/

Nokia Networks and Harris Partner on First Responder LTE

Nokia Networks and Harris introduced a rapidly deployable LTE solution for providing 4G/LTE coverage to first responders.  The solution can be deployed in one hour or less, enabling network restoration or remote temporary coverage, which is crucial in disaster or rural areas where coverage is not present or has been compromised.  It could also be used for extending network coverage during special public events.

The Nokia Networks/Harris LTE deployable solution is a field transportable eNodeB system that is installed in a rugged enclosure for off-road operations. It offers grid independent fuel cell powering options, field erectable antennas and several backhaul solutions such as Wi-Fi, microwave and/or satellite. The solution can also be equipped with an optional core network and application server to provide local connectivity in case of backhaul failure.  It includes the latest generation of Nokia Networks’ market leading Flexi Multiradio Base Station family, the Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station (BTS). This solution supports higher LTE capacities and a wider variety of BTS site configurations with a minimized amount of equipment and the industry’s lowest power consumption. The LTE deployable solution also includes BeOn, the world's most advanced group communications solution, which is offered by Harris and available as an application for smartphones and similar devices.

“The collaboration on the new LTE deployable solution builds upon Nokia Networks’ market leading LTE technology and Harris’ proven leadership in integrating LTE and land mobile radio systems,” said Bob Fennelly, head of government and public safety for Nokia Networks. “By leveraging our Flexi Multiradio Base Station family and Harris' BeOn®  group communications suite, we are providing first responders a best-in-class commercial solution that ensures delivery of real-time data and video when most needed.”

http://nsn.com/news-events/press-room/press-releases/nokia-networks-and-harris-corporation-launch-a-rapidly-deployable-lte-coverage-solution-at

Dell'Oro: Telecom Equipment Sales to Increase $30 Billion by 2018

The trends for the combined service provider telecom equipment market comprising the Access, Carrier IP Telephony, Microwave, Mobile RAN, Optical, SP Routers, SP WiFi, and Wireless Packet Core markets, are set to improve between 2013 and 2018—by approximately $30 billion, according to recently published reports by Dell'Oro Group.

 After recording a CAGR of -1% between 2008 and 2013, Dell’Oro Group forecasts the combined service provider equipment markets to grow at a CAGR of 2% between 2013 and 2018.

“Since the introduction of the iPhone back in 2007 and subsequent proliferation of smart phones generating data as well as voice traffic, service providers have prioritized building out and improving both their wireless and wireline networks,” said Tam Dell’Oro, President and Founder of Dell’Oro Group. “While we believe carriers will continue to enhance their wireless networks, we anticipate carriers will put more emphasis on backhauling traffic which means improving their wireline networks in the next five years,” added Dell’Oro. 

Other 5-year Forecast Report highlights:

  • Wireless and Wireline Telecom Markets to grow at a CAGR of 1% and 3%, respectively between 2013 and 2018. 
  • Microwave, Optical, SP Routers, and Wireless Packet Core to drive the majority of the growth in the forecast period. 

http://www.DellOro.com