News

IP Networking

• July 31, 2014 31 Jul'14

  Cisco ACI is now shipping, with $250K starter kits

  Cisco ACI is now shipping, with starter kits available at $250,000. Network engineers will now measure ACI against VMware NSX and other overlays.

• July 31, 2014 31 Jul'14

  With open networking, engineers could slash network spending

  Open Networking User Group members say programmable, software-based networks will let them save dramatically on network opex and capex. Instead of furthering the network device glut, they’ll move to commodity servers and virtual network services.

• July 30, 2014 30 Jul'14

  Cisco DevNet asks network engineers to commune with developers

  With the DevNet community, Cisco hopes network engineers and developers will build software on top of its APIs. Network engineers could find a DevOps future there.

• July 29, 2014 29 Jul'14

  Five must-know open source SDN controllers

  Open source SDN controllers enable the testing of applications and the promotion of network virtualization and NFV. Check out five open source SDN controllers to know about.

• July 24, 2014 24 Jul'14

  SDN blogs: SDN in telecom; Cuckoo hashing; what is ONIE?

  This week, SDN bloggers explore the future of SDN in telecom, Cuckoo hashing, the Open Network Install Environment, and the ONF's OpenFlow Conformance Testing Program.

• July 22, 2014 22 Jul'14

  Big Switch launches SDN cloud fabric with bare-metal switches

  Big Switch Networks launched is data center bare-metal product, Big Cloud Fabric. The SDN cloud fabric includes controller software, switch software and white box switch hardware.

• July 17, 2014 17 Jul'14

  Teamwork: The new threat intelligence strategy

  SN blogs: This week, an analyst said sharing threat intelligence information is a new security strategy; data analytics as a service offers all enterprises a competitive edge.

• June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14

  Pluribus reduces its top-of-rack switch price by outsourcing hardware

  Startup Pluribus outsources manufacturing of its top-of-rack switch; it may embrace the bare-metal switch approach.

• June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14

  Riverbed APM gets more root cause analytics, mobile visibility

  The rebranded Riverbed APM portfolio now includes SteelCentral AppInternals 9.0 with expanded mobile visibility and analytics capabilities.

• June 26, 2014 26 Jun'14

  What is a CPU-based SDN switch? Infoblox's Stu Bailey explains

  InfoBlox's Stu Bailey talks about the differences between the CPU-based LINCX SDN switch and ASIC-based switches, and how users can get involved with the development of LINCX.

• June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14

  Network Innovation Award: ThousandEyes multiplies view

  ThousandEyes is this month's SearchNetworking Network Innovation Award winner for its network performance platform.

• June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14

  VMware NSX price finally published as channel starts selling

  The VMware NSX price is finally publicly available, both monthly per-VM and perpetual per-CPU terms.

• June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14

  Juniper, Aruba partner to unify wired and wireless network management

  Juniper, Aruba announced a partnership to converge their respective wired and wireless LAN technology for simplified network management.

• May 29, 2014 29 May'14

  SDN blogs: Ansible for network automation; SDN, IPv6 hype?

  Bloggers look at network automation with Ansible; SDN, IPv6 hype; and the differences between SDN, automation and orchestration.

• May 28, 2014 28 May'14

  Hushed Apple CDN plans; Global Internet users to reach three billion

  Apple's CDN plans may include deals with ISPs, while an ITU study estimates three billion global Internet users by the end of 2014.

• May 20, 2014 20 May'14

  Do OpenDaylight and OpenStack compete or complement?

  OpenDaylight and OpenStack combine to enable IT as a service, but first the communities must wade through the overlapping features.

• May 08, 2014 08 May'14

  SDN WAN startups vIPtela and CloudGenix attack hybrid WAN complexity

  CloudGenix and vIPtela emerge from stealth to fight WAN complexity with SDN technology.

• May 06, 2014 06 May'14

  Motorola unveils iBeacon-based indoor positioning technology

  Motorola unveils indoor positioning technology using Bluetooth beacons retail businesses to reach customers, with or without guest Wi-Fi networks.

• May 01, 2014 01 May'14

  Pica8 claims to be first vendor to support OpenFlow 1.4

  Pica8 claims to be the first vendor to support the new OpenFlow SDN protocol, OpenFlow 1.4. What value does it bring to networks?

• April 24, 2014 24 Apr'14

  Dell bare-metal switches will power Big Switch SDN

  Dell integrates Big Switch Networks' SDN software onto its bare-metal switches, giving customers an alternative to ODMs.

• April 23, 2014 23 Apr'14

  New Cisco managed security services detects hackers, zero-day threats

  New Cisco managed security services collect enterprise network telemetry and apply real-time analysis and detection of threats.

• April 23, 2014 23 Apr'14

  Choices in SDN wireless technology emerge

  New SDN wireless technology uses intelligent controllers in the cloud to granularly direct traffic and policy among access points on premises.

• April 16, 2014 16 Apr'14

  VMware, Microsoft end encapsulation protocol turf war with GENEVE

  Microsoft, VMware, Intel and Red Hat have submitted the GENEVE encapsulation protocol to the IETF for network overlay standardization.

• April 10, 2014 10 Apr'14

  SDN blogs: Why Cisco OpFlex isn't an OpenFlow killer

  SDN bloggers take a look at security's role in the software-defined data center and whether or not Cisco OpFlex is an OpenFlow killer.

• April 10, 2014 10 Apr'14

  Cloud provider adopts Juniper Contrail for multi-data center cloud

  Cloud Dynamics builds a multi-data center cloud using the Juniper Contrail SDN software and MetaFabric.

• April 08, 2014 08 Apr'14

  The onus is on IT to improve perceptions around IT culture

  Improving IT culture starts by communicating often with different departments and marketing their services to their end users.

• April 02, 2014 02 Apr'14

  Cisco OpFlex: A southbound SDN protocol for network policy control

  Cisco proposed OpFlex as an alternative, southbound SDN control protocol that relies on distributed network intelligence.

• April 01, 2014 01 Apr'14

  Fortinet steps into high-end ADC market

  One year after acquiring Coyote Point Systems, Fortinet releases its first high-end application delivery controllers for enterprises and MSPs.

• March 31, 2014 31 Mar'14

  OpenFlow as a network control protocol goes deeper than data center

  OpenFlow can be transformed into a network control protocol that pushes past Layer 2 to transform the WAN and optical transport layer of the network.

• March 28, 2014 28 Mar'14

  Overlay vendor Midokura teams with Cumulus for bare-metal VXLAN gateway

  Overlay network vendor Midokura partnered with Cumulus Networks to enable a bare-metal switch as a VXLAN gateway.

• March 20, 2014 20 Mar'14

  SDN blogs: Google SDN; Open vSwitch overlays; SDN certs vs. coding

  SDN bloggers take a look at Google SDN at ONS 2014, installing overlays on Open vSwitch and SDN certifications versus coding.

• March 19, 2014 19 Mar'14

  HP trains partners, developers and engineers for SDN app store

  HP's SDN app store needs apps, so HP is training partners, developers and engineers to build them. HP and its partner, Kemp Technologies, discuss.

• March 05, 2014 05 Mar'14

  AT&T Domain 2.0 kicks into high gear as carrier embraces NFV and SDN

  AT&T is no longer waiting to build its next-generation network with SDN and NFV. AT&T's Domain 2.0 vision comes alive this year.

• March 03, 2014 03 Mar'14

  Q&A with Big Switch CEO: Bare-metal switches or bust

  In this Q&A, Big Switch CEO Doug Murray previews the SDN cloud fabric his company is developing with white-box switches.

• February 28, 2014 28 Feb'14

  Open Networking Summit 2014: Let's talk scalability and SDN use cases

  Plexxi's Michael Bushong says the Open Networking Summit 2014 should move beyond the SDN buzz and into the technical nitty-gritty.

• February 21, 2014 21 Feb'14

  Asian carrier offers self-service WAN via Vello Systems' OpenFlow SDN

  Pacnet built an OpenFlow-based WAN using OpenFlow software and white-box equipment from Vello Systems.

• February 19, 2014 19 Feb'14

  Pica8 doubles flow rule capacity in its new OpenFlow 1.3 switch

  Pica8 introduced a new OpenFlow 1.3 switch that doubles the flow-table memory of its previous switches from 4,000 to 8,000 OpenFlow rules.

• February 14, 2014 14 Feb'14

  SDN security issues: How secure is the SDN stack?

  The security and integrity of software-defined networking remains unproven, particularly the controller, which is a single point of failure.

• February 12, 2014 12 Feb'14

  New modular PA-7050 Palo Alto firewall scales to 120 Gbps

  With the PA-7050 chassis, Palo Alto Networks aims to sell firewalls deep into large data centers.

• February 05, 2014 05 Feb'14

  A10 Networks embraces SDN, overlays and cloud with aCloud architecture

  With VXLAN and NVGRE support, multiple partnerships and integrations, and pay as you go, A10 embraces SDN, overlays and cloud.

• January 29, 2014 29 Jan'14

  Aerohive helps manage mobile devices and Wi-Fi infrastructure together

  Aerohive adds the ability to manage mobile devices to its Wi-Fi management platform, combining mobile device management and network management.

• January 29, 2014 29 Jan'14

  Dell offers bare-metal switches through Cumulus partnership

  Dell says yes to bare-metal networking, allowing customers to run Cumulus and other operating systems on its switches.

• January 29, 2014 29 Jan'14

  Cisco SDN push: Commercial OpenDaylight controller, ACI progress

  The multifaceted Cisco SDN onslaught trudged forward with the OpenDaylight-based XNC controller, onePK support on the Nexus 7700 and ACI momentum.

• January 23, 2014 23 Jan'14

  Cisco CCNP Security certification revised to be less device-centric

  Cisco's revision of the CCNP Security certification curriculum will teach engineers how to do their jobs rather than master devices.

• January 10, 2014 10 Jan'14

  Thinking about SDN? Here are 42 vendors that offer SDN products

  After determining your organizational needs, it's time to find a vendor whose SDN product works for you. Here are 42 vendors that sell SDN products.

• January 08, 2014 08 Jan'14

  14 questions to ask SDN vendors before investing

  Considering SDN technology? SDN expert Ethan Banks breaks down 14 questions to pose to an SDN vendor before investing in their technology.

• December 18, 2013 18 Dec'13

  15 SDN experts to follow on Twitter

  Whether they were sharing content or chatting with peers, SDN experts had a lot to say on Twitter this year. We picked out 15 to follow.

• December 17, 2013 17 Dec'13

  Engineer wish list: SDN companies must work together, embrace openness

  Network engineers tell SDN companies to pursue a common vision for networking, embrace OpenFlow and commit to openness.

• December 16, 2013 16 Dec'13

  New Dell switches offer end-to-end 1/10/40 GbE campus networking

  Two new series of Dell switches and OEM Aruba access points give the vendor an end-to-end campus networking portfolio.

• December 11, 2013 11 Dec'13

  Between Cisco and VMware SDN, which will network engineers choose?

  In the Cisco vs. VMware SDN battle, Cisco ACI may win out among network engineers, who are more comfortable with the hardware-centric approach.

• December 09, 2013 09 Dec'13

  NetCitadel automates security threat assessment and response

  NetCitadel ThreatOptics automates assessment and remediation of network security threats by correlating and analyzing third-party security data.

• December 06, 2013 06 Dec'13

  Ten SDN blogs worth following

  2013 was a big year for SDN, and no other group had more to say about the new technology than SDN bloggers. We rounded up ten SDN blogs worth reading.

• December 05, 2013 05 Dec'13

  How SDN and NFV simplify network service chain provisioning

  SDN and NFV simplify service chain provisioning, making it easier and cheaper to spin up applications in enterprise and service provider networks.

• December 02, 2013 02 Dec'13

  Bare metal switches: Will merchant silicon take over networking?

  New vendors are pushing network architectures that decouple software from hardware and run on bare metal switches with merchant silicon. Have we reached the x86 era in networking?

• November 27, 2013 27 Nov'13

  VMware adds NSX firewall integration with Palo Alto Networks

  VMware NSX integration with Palo Alto Networks applies advanced security policies to network virtualization overlay traffic.

• November 26, 2013 26 Nov'13

  Can Andreas Voellmy's Maple controller simplify SDN programming?

  Researcher Andreas Voellmy explains how a single programming module concept inspired the Maple controller, which doesn't rely on programming languages.

• November 21, 2013 21 Nov'13

  Rob Cannistra talks OpenFlow development on the Floodlight controller

  Marist's Robert Cannistra talks SDN research and current OpenFlow development for the OpenDaylight Floodlight controller.

• November 20, 2013 20 Nov'13

  VMware NSX will change the network admin role: Are you ready?

  VMware NSX could bring network virtualization under the management of system admins, or it could alter the network admin role. Which will it be?

• November 19, 2013 19 Nov'13

  Nexus 9000 vs. Nexus 7000: What's in your future?

  Cisco's new SDN master plan revolves around new hardware -- the Nexus 9000. Are your old Nexus switches obsolete?

• November 18, 2013 18 Nov'13

  Your next job may be 'network programmer': What you'll need to know

  SDN brings flexibility to networking, but this will require engineers to gain new skills in order to fill the emerging role of network programmer.

• November 14, 2013 14 Nov'13

  Competitors on Cisco SDN strategy: Is hardware really the answer?

  Cisco competitors blasted the new Cisco SDN strategy, saying it uses inflexible hardware for software-driven networks and bypasses SDN standards.

• November 14, 2013 14 Nov'13

  User-, app-centric security key in enterprise security architecture

  Today's enterprise security architecture must become contextually aware in order to support the growth of mobile devices and cloud-based applications.

• November 13, 2013 13 Nov'13

  Can multiple SSID Wi-Fi configurations contribute to performance woes?

  Multiple SSID network configurations can be trimmed down with dynamic policy controllers in order to boost wireless LAN performance.

• November 13, 2013 13 Nov'13

  Bare-metal networking: Facebook shares progress of Open Compute switch

  Facebook revealed that Open Compute will likely accept contributions from Broadcom, Intel, Mellanox and Cumulus into its bare-metal switch project.

• November 11, 2013 11 Nov'13

  As encryption standards tighten, Array retools ADC, eyes SaaS clients

  Array Networks revamps mid-level ADC as it targets Software as a Service providers for its 2,048-bit SSL-compatible appliances.

• November 07, 2013 07 Nov'13

  Juniper Contrail's open source SDN will change the enterprise network

  Glen Kemp discusses Juniper's open source SDN controller and the impact the OpenContrail project and NFV may have on enterprise customers.

• November 04, 2013 04 Nov'13

  Cumulus Networks update: Broadcom Trident II-based bare-metal switches

  Cumulus Networks released version 2.0 of its Linux-based network OS for bare-metal switches based on Broadcom Trident II chips.

• October 31, 2013 31 Oct'13

  Xirrus 802.11ac access point: Equal support of high, low-speed clients

  Xirrus' new dual-radio 802.11ac access point separates high-speed and low-speed clients by supporting both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels on both radios.

• October 29, 2013 29 Oct'13

  Jennifer Rexford: The road to SDN programming language started at AT&T

  SDN researcher Jennifer Rexford talks about her work with SDN programming languages and Pyretic, a Python-based language for OpenFlow networks.

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  NetSocket targets the branch router with network virtualization

  NetSocket has pivoted its end-to-end network virtualization product toward replacing the branch router with software.

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  Aruba introduces reliable cloud-based network, Wi-Fi management tools

  Aruba introduces reliable cloud-based network options to the enterprise with embedded control in APs and cloud-based Wi-Fi management.

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  SDN buyer's guide: Book chapter on what to look for in a solution

  Rajesh Kumar outlines SDN basics in his new book and includes an SDN buyer's guide with key SDN components to look for in an SDN solution.

• September 27, 2013 27 Sep'13

  Five key issues admins face when configuring Cisco routers and switches

  Two Cisco-certified experts detail the five biggest challenges admins face when configuring Cisco routers and switches.

• September 25, 2013 25 Sep'13

  Not all OpenFlow hardware is created equal: Understanding the options

  In this Q&A, Ixia's Mike Haugh explains why OpenFlow hardware support varies so much from vendor to vendor.

• September 20, 2013 20 Sep'13

  Magic Quadrant: Network services wanted for wired and wireless networks

  Enterprises want sophisticated network services for their wired and wireless networks, according to the Gartner's Magic Quadrant report.

• September 19, 2013 19 Sep'13

  Brocade's new Vyatta virtual router is 10x faster

  Brocade's Vyatta 5600 virtual router is 10 times faster, setting the stage for telco deployments, NFV and high-performance overlays.

• September 19, 2013 19 Sep'13

  WAN vendor Ipanema Technologies sets cloud app performance platform

  Ipanema Technologies introduces a cloud application management platform that ensures application performance through multiple networks.

• September 16, 2013 16 Sep'13

  Large file transfer doesn't have to be risky or eat WAN bandwidth

  Moving large files across organizations doesn't have to violate security policies or consume pricey bandwidth. Better options exist.

• September 13, 2013 13 Sep'13

  Will SDN pose network security vulnerabilities? It depends

  With a centralized control plane and easy-to-use APIs, does SDN introduce new network security vulnerabilities? New SDN security strategies can help.

• September 11, 2013 11 Sep'13

  SDN blog roundup: Do SDN start-ups fit into an overlay network world?

  SDN bloggers discuss an SDN book review, along with overlay networks and China's adoption of SDN.

• September 10, 2013 10 Sep'13

  802.11ac range issues: Overcoming wireless signal shortcomings

  802.11ac range is shorter than previous Wi-Fi standards. Enterprises can overcome range shortcomings with range extenders, additional access points.

• September 09, 2013 09 Sep'13

  VMware network virtualization will spell trouble for Cisco, eventually

  The VMware network virtualization platform won't end the Cisco-VMware relationship, but it could hurt Cisco in the data center over the long term.

• September 06, 2013 06 Sep'13

  Open SDN: The fine line between progress and vendor lock-in

  Within open SDN, there are two dynamics: trying new things and avoiding lock-in. Michael Bushong explains the area between progress and lock-in.

• August 29, 2013 29 Aug'13

  Upgrading the network? Don't forget the network security tools

  Network security tools -- like firewalls-- must be upgraded when moving to a high-speed enterprise network in order to prevent bottlenecks.

• August 27, 2013 27 Aug'13

  Vendors link hardware switches with VMware NSX network virtualization

  Every major network hardware vendor minus Cisco announced integration of their physical switches with the VMware NSX network virtualization platform.

• August 22, 2013 22 Aug'13

  Agile vs. Waterfall development: Embracing each method appropriately

  The pros and cons of Agile and Waterfall development are telling. Handle development processes thoughtfully to benefit from both.

• August 21, 2013 21 Aug'13

  SDN blog roundup: Is OpenFlow SDN all it's cracked up to be?

  SDN bloggers discuss OpenFlow SDN, the future of SDN and network virtualization, and how affinities can be used in and out of a Plexxi network.

• August 09, 2013 09 Aug'13

  New role for NAC? Endpoint visibility enables contextual security

  Network access control is dead. Long live endpoint visibility, access and security. New acronym, slightly different product.

• August 05, 2013 05 Aug'13

  Using big data for SDN: How analytics will enable programmability

  Using big data for SDN is important for centralized control and programmability, but do the tools exist to mine data and then apply it to the network?

• August 02, 2013 02 Aug'13

  Overheard on Twitter: SDN security; network functions virtualization

  SearchSDN explored Twitter and saw users discussing SDN security, network functions virtualization and network virtualization, and SDN use cases.

• August 01, 2013 01 Aug'13

  HP Networking Lifetime Warranty 2.0: Free 24/7 phone support

  HP Networking's lifetime warranty gets a boost with free 24/7 phone support for three years on all campus switches and branch routers.

• July 31, 2013 31 Jul'13

  WLAN design tools prepare enterprises for optimal Wi-Fi experiences

  WLAN design tools and site surveys are prerequisites for an optimal wireless experience; Xirrus announces its cloud-based Wi-Fi design application.

• July 30, 2013 30 Jul'13

  Integrating Open vSwitch management into the OpenDaylight controller

  OpenDaylight will integrate Open vSwitch management protocol, OVSDB, into its controller for the ability to provision and manage virtual switches.

• July 29, 2013 29 Jul'13

  OpenFlow testing: ONF will lead conformance program for SDN protocol

  The ONF has launched an OpenFlow testing program that certifies hardware and software conformance with the SDN protocol.

• July 29, 2013 29 Jul'13

  IETF SDN standards emerge: Southbound protocols, NFV, service chains

  The new IETF SDN standards group, I2RS, will work on southbound programming protocols, NFV and network service chains. And that''s just the start.

• July 25, 2013 25 Jul'13

  SDN basics: Five questions answered

  Understanding SDN basics is key. We rounded up five reader questions answered by our experts that provide insight as to how SDN can and should be used.

• July 24, 2013 24 Jul'13

  Sourcefire deal boosts Cisco vulnerability research labs, security biz

  Cisco's acquisition of Sourcefire boosts its intrusion revenue business and infuses valuable vulnerability research talent.

• July 22, 2013 22 Jul'13

  OpenStack networking name change: From Quantum to Neutron

  Less than a year after OpenStack networking software debuted as Quantum, the OpenStack Foundation has changed the technology's name to Neutron.

• July 22, 2013 22 Jul'13

  Embrane Heleos adds L4-7 software-defined network service chains

  Embrane enables Layer 4-7 service chains with vLink, a Layer 3-based overlay technology.

• July 18, 2013 18 Jul'13

  SDN blogs: SDN adoption rates, SDN programming, network virtualization

  This week, SDN bloggers took a look at SDN programming, adoption rates, network virtualization and the future of VLANs in an SDN environment.