Intune Networks has designed what it claims is the world's first distributed switch, which is capable of extending software-defined networks (SDN) across hundreds of miles. The system, which uses Intune’s distributed optical packet switching fabric, will allow carriers and large IT users to extend SDN beyond the data center and to unify distributed computing resources over long distances, the company claims.
The SDN capability is being added to Intune's iVX8000 system, which has the characteristics of a local switch distributed across a large area, replacing multiple switches and transport devices with a single network element (see “Intune Networks readies carrier-class optical packet switching and transport”). Intune says it will be adding an open interface to the existing iVX8000 platform that allows external standards-based controllers to populate the forwarding fabric of the system.
John Dunne, Intune's chief technology officer said, “In order to distribute the switching function we have already separated the control, management, and data planes across ports that are hundreds of miles apart, so allowing them to be controlled by SDN is a logical next step. Using a distributed switching system means the deployment of SDN across the wide area becomes as simple as deploying it across a single LAN switch.”
Richard Brandon, Intune's chief marketing officer added, “SDN has the potential to transform carriers' business models, turning their networks into huge unified computing resources. Current network architectures add massive amounts of complexity to SDN once it leaves the confines of a local data center. Intune has created a way of solving that problem and expanding SDN across the entire network.”
Intune are a venture-backed company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with offices in the United States and additional R&D facilities in Belfast, UK.
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