ONF releases Atrium open SDN software package

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) says it has released the first iteration of Atrium, a compendium of previously standalone open software-defined networking (SDN) software elements. The Atrium program aims to ease the adoption of open SDN concepts by integrating established open source SDN software with what it termed "critical connecting pieces."

The initial release, Atrium 2015/A, includes Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the Open Network Operating System (ONOS), and Open Compute Project (OCP) components that will run in either controllers or switches. They will communicate via OpenFlow and include plugin "opportunities" for other switching platforms in hopes of supporting an open ecosystem of interoperable, hardware-based OpenFlow switches.

The ONF says it took a pragmatic approach toward this initial Atrium package. For example, the group says that touting is often the most basic application operators want for SDN, and so Atrium 2015/A includes Quagga BGP, a popular open source routing stack. Quagga runs on ONOS; given the fact that ON.Lab, developer of ONOS, contributed engineering resources to help with the internal "flow objectives" interface and other integration efforts, its inclusion also makes sense, the ONF believes. Meanwhile, OCP is an open source hardware initiative with wide support.

Atrium 2015/A will be available by the end of June. It will include:

• Documentation for installation, configuration, and operation
• A "snapshot" of ONOS verified to work with the white-box software stack as well as other vendor switches that have provided a driver for their pipeline
• A BGP peering application that runs on ONOS and includes the Quagga BGP stack
• A collection of OpenFlow v1.3 device drivers in ONOS
• Indigo OpenFlow client together with Open Network Linux and OFDPA for the OCP white-box switches
• Mininet with the use of Open vSwitch (OVS) to emulate the hardware pipelines of the switches involved
• Full functionality testing suite.
  

The ONF adds that its member companies and others are already porting Atrium to the industry-led OpenDaylight project for release later this year. The organization says it will release future Atrium packages at an unspecified later date.

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