HP outlines SDN plans

03 Oct 2012

New product will provide IT admins with a single point of control, from data centre to desktop, say HP execs.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has opened up about its software-defined networking (SDN) push, with the announcement on 2 October of the addition of OpenFlow support to more of its networking switches, as well as a range of new products and services for network virtualisation and management. These, say company executives, will offer businesses open-standards-based SDN solutions that enable network admins to control everything from the infrastructure and control software to the application layer, all through a single control panel.

“In the cloud era, clients need a single point of control for the entire network, which enables them to deploy any application or service directly to the user within minutes,” said Bethany Mayer, senior vice president and general manager of HP Networking, in a statement. “Only HP provides clients with a complete software-defined network solution that automates manual configuration tasks across hardware, software and applications and from data centre to desktop through a single control plane.”

HP’s has developed its own Virtual Application Networks SDN controller, which moves network intelligence form the hardware to the software layer, giving businesses a centralised view of their network and a way to automate the configuration of devices in the infrastructure. In addition, application programming interfaces (APIs) will be available, so that third-party developers can create enterprise applications for these networks.

The company has already created its own software for the controller, including its new Sentinel Security product for network access control and intrusion prevention. It is also creating new Virtual Cloud Networks software, which will enable cloud providers to bring to market more automated and scalable public-cloud services. In addition, HP’s Technology Services Group will provide a range of services to help businesses design and deploy their SDNs.

HP’s approach is certainly broad, but it is entering a crowded market where a large number of both established vendors (Cisco, Juniper Networks, Extreme Networks, VMware) as well as a host of start-ups (Adara, Vyatta, Big Switch Networks) are jostling to get customers’ attention. The SDN Wars have only just begun.

There will be a number of presentations on the topic of Software Defined Networking at IP EXPO. On Wednesday 17 October at 11.10, Jorg-Peter Elbers of ADVA Optical Networking will discuss, ‘Expanding OpenFlow beyond the data centre’. Last on the first day, at 14.30, Paul Roberts of Silver Peak Systems will discuss how SDN is impacting the WAN optimisation market in, 'Will workload optimisation replace WAN optimisation?’.