Data Center

Facebook to release data center switch spec for Open Compute Project

Facebook announced at Interop that its Open Compute Project will expand its scope to include open designs for top-of-rack data center switches.News | 09 May 2013

Interop Conference 2013

Your home for all the news at Interop Conference 2013. Cloud computing, SDN, big data, application optimization, data center networking, virtualization, mobile and more from Las Vegas.guide

Arista upgrades 7500 for massive leaf-and-spine network architecture

With its new, high-density 10/40/100 GbE 7500E switch, Arista Networks enables customers to build massive leaf-and-spine networks.News | 02 May 2013

HP reveals new generation of data center switches

HP offers new core and aggregation data center switches with OpenFlow 1.3, TRILL and Shortest Path Bridging support.News | 30 Apr 2013

Dell Active Fabric: Converged fabric that's easy to deploy and manage

With Active Fabric, Dell delivers a converged fabric for data centers where server and storage admins call the shots.News | 24 Apr 2013

The data center switch industry does not have a leader

Cisco may sell the most data center switches, but no single vision has emerged as the best way to build a data center fabric.Fast Packet | 12 Apr 2013

Juniper launches MX-based EX9200 for data center and campus cores

Juniper offers 40 and 100Gigabit Ethernet and network programmability for campus and data center cores by rebranding the MX router as the EX9200 switch.News | 28 Mar 2013

OpenStack vs. CloudStack: What's the best approach?

When it comes to OpenStack vs. CloudStack, IT managers need to understand the difference between the open source cloud-computing management architectures.Expert Tip

Plexxi integrates SDN with Calient's 3D MEMS optical switch

By integrating with Calient's 3D MEMS optical switch, Plexxi's SDN now has dynamic and unlimited optical interconnections.News | 25 Mar 2013

How virtual switching integrates the network edge

Learn how a cloud provider and a collocation center use virtual switching to integrate physical and virtual networks.Feature

Working with individual applications for hybrid cloud management

Working with individual applications in hybrid cloud management can be complex, but Quality of Experience can be ensured.Tip

Assuaging concerns about public cloud services

In this helpful guide, cloud networking expert Amy Larsen DeCarlo delves into some of the most common concerns about public cloud services and the best ways to address them.FAQ

Interop Conference 2013

Your home for all the news at Interop Conference 2013. Cloud computing, SDN, big data, application optimization, data center networking, virtualization, mobile and more from Las Vegas.guide

Arista upgrades 7500 for massive leaf-and-spine network architecture

With its new, high-density 10/40/100 GbE 7500E switch, Arista Networks enables customers to build massive leaf-and-spine networks.News | 02 May 2013

What kind of security protections does a cloud service provider offer?

Amy Larsen-DeCarlo writes that enterprises can expect similar security protections from cloud providers as they get from traditional hosting services.Answer

How do I go about choosing a cloud provider for my company?

Choosing a cloud provider for your company can seem impossible until you compare your needs to a provider's core business.Answer

SLAs: What you should ask from your cloud service provider

Amy Larsen-DeCarlo says that cloud service providers offer SLAs, but enterprises should demand concrete agreements that guarantee end-to-end service.Answer

Networking blogs: Network visibility, installing Grizzly with DevStack

In this week's roundup, bloggers explain how to install Grizzly with DevStack and explore the question of visibility in the virtualized network.Fast Packet | 19 Apr 2013

What cloud alternatives work best for enterprisewide applications?

Businesses worried about public cloud performance and compliance have cloud alternatives to consider, including virtual private clouds.Answer

What are the best use cases for public cloud services?

Enterprises increasingly see public cloud services as secure and stable enough for specific non-core applications if they have effective SLAs.Answer

Interop Conference 2013

Your home for all the news at Interop Conference 2013. Cloud computing, SDN, big data, application optimization, data center networking, virtualization, mobile and more from Las Vegas.guide

HP reveals new generation of data center switches

HP offers new core and aggregation data center switches with OpenFlow 1.3, TRILL and Shortest Path Bridging support.News | 30 Apr 2013

OpenStack vs. CloudStack: What's the best approach?

When it comes to OpenStack vs. CloudStack, IT managers need to understand the difference between the open source cloud-computing management architectures.Expert Tip

ONF fees block engineers from contributing to the OpenFlow protocol

Many engineers can't contribute to OpenFlow protocol development because they can't afford the Open Networking Foundation's $30,000 membership fee.News | 18 Feb 2013

What makes SDN and network virtualization matter? Campus network apps

SDN and network virtualization are touted as data center technologies, but they won't take off at the average enterprise until campus LAN apps emerge.Fast Packet | 08 Feb 2013

Network Innovation Award: Big Switch's OpenFlow SDN architecture

Big Switch's OpenFlow SDN architecture, which includes a controller, network virtualization app and monitoring tool, won the Network Innovation Award.News | 06 Feb 2013

Podcast: SDN and OpenFlow pitfalls and potential at TIP 2013

Executive editor Rivka Gewirtz Little reports live from Honolulu, where the latest news about SDN and OpenFlow creates buzz among TIP attendees.Podcast

Can OpenFlow research be truly open when it's vendor-funded?

When universities work with vendors on OpenFlow research they sign vendor non-disclosure agreements. Does that hamper research and collaboration?Fast Packet | 21 Jan 2013

OpenFlow SDN 'prematurely productized', Brocade exec says

Centralized OpenFlow controllers are not the only paths to SDN, Brocade's service provider CTO said at the Techs in Paradise conference this week.Fast packet | 18 Jan 2013

Embrane: Placing network services in the hypervisor won't work

Many shops use hypervisors or virtual appliances for network virtualization services, but Embrane says network intelligence must be distributed.Fast Packet | 02 Jan 2013

Dell Active Fabric: Converged fabric that's easy to deploy and manage

With Active Fabric, Dell delivers a converged fabric for data centers where server and storage admins call the shots.News | 24 Apr 2013

Networking blogs: Network visibility, installing Grizzly with DevStack

In this week's roundup, bloggers explain how to install Grizzly with DevStack and explore the question of visibility in the virtualized network.Fast Packet | 19 Apr 2013

Networking blogs: Snags in wireless management, tips for smart storage

In this week's networking roundup, bloggers discuss the good and bad of wireless management and why IT should trust their smart storage technology.Fast packet | 26 Mar 2013

Bandwidth constraints obstruct off-site data backup

Enterprises send only two-thirds of their data to off-site backup locations due to bandwidth constraints.News | 13 Mar 2013

Emulex acquires Endace to build a software-defined networking play

Server network adaptor vendor Emulex said its acquisition of network visibility vendor Endace will enhance its software-defined networking strategy.News | 12 Dec 2012

Network Innovation Award: Brocade VCS Fabric

Brocade wins the SearchNetworking Network Innovation Award for its VCS data center network fabric technology.News | 30 Nov 2012

FCoE for converged networking? Not quite, Brocade veep says

Brocade, a storage veteran and data center LAN innovator, has the tools to make end-to-end FCoE work, but that's not what customers want, one VP says.News | 30 Nov 2012

ATA over Ethernet for converged data center networks? No way

Using NAS devices for data center virtualization storage

End-to-end FCoE for network convergence won't work!

Interop Conference 2013

Your home for all the news at Interop Conference 2013. Cloud computing, SDN, big data, application optimization, data center networking, virtualization, mobile and more from Las Vegas.guide

Networking blogs: Owning data center monitoring, push for OpenStack

In this blog roundup, see why IT needs a better approach to monitoring data centers, and how vendors differentiate by using a common infrastructure.Fast Packet | 02 May 2013

Use business service management to optimize application performance

To optimize application performance in the network, many companies are using business service management software and tools to automate IT services.Tip

Global IT consultancy chooses cloud WAN optimization over hardware

A global IT consultancy chooses Aryaka's cloud WAN optimization service over traditional hardware-based vendors.News | 29 Mar 2013

Hybrid cloud networking falls short, but not for long

Hybrid cloud networking falls short of enabling total orchestration across public and private clouds. Software-defined networking, network virtualization and orchestration tools will change that.Feature

After much talk, network virtualization is finally becoming a reality

For years, companies like Cisco have promised network virtualization, but with network software overlays and software-defined networking, the technology is finally coming to life.Opinion

FlyScript enables programmable networks across all Riverbed products

With FlyScript, Riverbed adds programmable networking that integrates all of its products, from network performance monitoring to ADCs and WOCs.News | 14 Mar 2013

F5's LineRate Systems acquisition: Modernization path for F5 TMOS

F5 Networks' acquisition of LineRate Systems should allow the company to modernize its core TMOS software and its iRules scripting engine.News | 13 Feb 2013

Radware buys Strangeloop Networks for Web application optimization

With Radware's acquisition of Strangeloop Networks, Web application optimization is consolidated further into application delivery controllers.News | 13 Feb 2013

New F5 firewall pits ADC vendor against crowded market

F5 Networks announced a new firewall that integrates with the company's existing application delivery and security products.News | 31 Jan 2013

Is Cisco doing enough to reduce network power consumption?

Better power supplies and fans are not enough to reduce network power consumption. It's time for network vendors to rethink chip design and packaging.Fast Packet

Software-defined networking could make Network-as-a-Service a reality

Software-defined networking could solve the problems that Ethernet and IP networking pose to Network-as-a-Service by centralizing a connection permission policy.Tip

OpenFlow protocol primer: Looking under the hood

We know the OpenFlow protocol can be used to abstract the network control plane from underlying physical infrastructure, but how exactly does the protocol work?Feature

OpenFlow and software-defined networking take shape

OpenFlow and software-defined networking are going from theory to use case scenarios, according to Google and Yahoo.News | 27 Oct 2011

Interop NYC: Where's the OpenFlow?

After all the OpenFlow hype at Interop Las Vegas, there is noticeably little talk of the specification here at Interop NYC. Is that because it's not ready for primetime?Fast Packet | 06 Oct 2011

NVGRE standard primer: More VLANs and isolated tenants in the cloud

Microsoft's NVGRE standard offers competition to VMware's VXLAN standard, promising to create more VLANs that stretch across Layers 2 and 3 for multi-tenant cloud networks.Tip

Myth of VM mobility and follow-the-sun data centers

Think VM mobility and follow-the-sun data centers work for high availability and disaster avoidance? Think again. Long-distance migration is still a problem.Fast Packet | 28 Sep 2011

VXLAN standard primer: Extended VLANs, long-distance VM migration

The VXLAN standard aims to solve the long-distance VM migration dilemma by enabling extended VLANs across geographically dispersed data centers for a multi-tenant cloud network.Tip

Data center networking efficiency

Efficient data center networking is a sure bet if the equipment has a long life and the network capacity is fully utilized. In this video, learn how to extend the life of the data center equipment with consolidation and how to better utilize network capacity in the data center.Video

Network security infrastructure consolidation: What's your strategy?

Network security hardware and software vendors are offering enterprises options to consolidate network security infrastructure so that they can reduce management overhead and power consumption in the data center. But enterprises must avoid adding complexity.Article | 26 Oct 2010

Working with individual applications for hybrid cloud management

Working with individual applications in hybrid cloud management can be complex, but Quality of Experience can be ensured.Tip

Assuaging concerns about public cloud services

In this helpful guide, cloud networking expert Amy Larsen DeCarlo delves into some of the most common concerns about public cloud services and the best ways to address them.FAQ

Interop Conference 2013

Your home for all the news at Interop Conference 2013. Cloud computing, SDN, big data, application optimization, data center networking, virtualization, mobile and more from Las Vegas.guide

When NOT to Opt for Network as a Service

In this tip, networking expert Tom Nolle discusses how to determine when Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) is not the best option for your organization.Tip

How to make Network as a Service a real option

Networking as a Service may be the future of networking, but virtual network overlay and device-based NaaS has challenges to solve first.Tip

What cloud alternatives work best for enterprisewide applications?

Businesses worried about public cloud performance and compliance have cloud alternatives to consider, including virtual private clouds.Answer

What are the best use cases for public cloud services?

Enterprises increasingly see public cloud services as secure and stable enough for specific non-core applications if they have effective SLAs.Answer

Vendors vary in approaches to open source cloud management

When choosing between open source cloud management vendors, IT administrators need to know how they differ in their support of open source strategies.Expert Tip

Analysts make predictions on 2013 networking trends

Networking analysts predict what 2013 has in store for data centers, campus LANs, network management, security and software-defined networks.Feature

Let the 40 Gigabit Ethernet migration begin

The need for capacity and speed explodes as network teams build private and hybrid clouds and deliver video throughout their campuses and branch offices. So even if they don’t need 40 GbE today, they’ll need to build networks that can be transitioned in the future. And that won’t be easy. The transition will mean testing new equipment as vendors race to release 40 and 100 GbE-ready switching. It will also require consideration of new cabling and optics. In this edition, we discuss the challenges that lie ahead so when you invest in your current 10 GbE infrastructure, you do so with future migration to 40 and 100 GbE in mind.E-Zine