MEDIA RELEASE PR39289
Force10 Networks Hosts an Open Automation 'Festival' for the Dynamic Data Center at
Interop 2010
SAN JOSE, Calif., Apr. 27 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
VMware, Sun Microsystems, TBD Networks and Agilysys partner with Force10 to
demonstrate how open automation delivers on the promise of flexibility and
choice to empower users and lower costs
Force10 Networks, Inc., the global technology leader that data center, service
provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their business, today
announced it will feature four interoperability demonstrations with ecosystem and
solution partners to showcase leading-edge network automation technologies for the
dynamic data center at booth #939 at this week's Interop 2010 IT Expo in Las Vegas.
As part of its "Open Automation Festival" during the show, Force10 is
demonstrating how its switch/routers are managed, programmed and orchestrated by
partners including VMware, Sun Microsystems, TBD Networks and Agilysys. These real-
world demonstrations illustrate how network automation technologies drive down costs
and empower customers to increase employee productivity, minimize human error and
accelerate the network's responsiveness to resource needs.
The demonstrations illustrate the convergence of technology milestones introduced
in recent announcements from Force10. The company has taken a leadership role in the
data center market with the launch of the highest-ever 10 GbE port density, its plan
to deliver end-to-end, edge-to-core 40 GbE switch/router solutions and top-of-rack
access switch for converged Fibre Channel and Ethernet fabrics as well as recently
unveiling its Open Automation initiative for dynamic data centers.
"In recent weeks, we have established clear thought leadership in the market
through our server- and application-centric approach to network automation," says
Steve Garrison, vice president of marketing, Force10 Networks. "Our demonstrations
this week clearly show that an open standards-based approach to network automation
gives customers the flexibility to leverage the tools they are comfortable with as
they tackle the pressing needs of their dynamic data centers today and lay the
foundation for cloud-based services for tomorrow."
Force10 understands the complex environments that its customers must maintain,
and the company is working with them to address the increasing complexities of
virtualization sprawl. IT managers are losing simplicity and manageability due in
part to the compounding efforts of virtualization that can broaden their IT assets
and drive utilization with just the touch of a keyboard. Automation is seen as the
logical and required technology to allow customers to gain control of operational
expense. Force10 is presenting VLAN automation, server/hypervisor-to-switch
communications and a dynamic provisioning solution as the first set of tools and
offerings helping to recapture simplicity and operational control of today's IT
infrastructure.
Four Interop Demonstrations Present Realistic Automation Approaches that Attack
Operational Expenses
In contrast to other vendors who present revolutionary concepts to solving these
problems, Force10 believes faster adoption and greater customer value will occur by
demonstrating an evolutionary approach that enhances existing technologies and data
center skill sets, enabling customers to see immediate operational savings without
significant increases in capital expense and new training. All four demonstrations
will illustrate solutions architected to ensure constant network and application
availability as well as lower operational expenses from less training and easier
management.
Demo to Show Automated Switch Configuration Based on Dynamic Changes to VMware
Infrastructure
Force10 and VMware will jointly demonstrate real-time communications between
VMware's vSwitch and Force10's C-Series resilient switch running VMware SDK software.
Force10 and VMware will create VLANs based on dynamic changes to VMware - vSwitch
environment. On demand flow though provisioning, de-provisioning and characterization
of VLANs offers data center customers a level of simplicity lost in the expanding
virtualized it landscape.
VMware, TBD Networks and Force10 to Demonstrate Network Orchestration
Capabilities
VMware provides unique virtualization and distributed resource scheduling
technology for allocating CPU and memory resources. Network orchestration, meanwhile,
is focused on storage and LAN/WAN resource and performance analysis. A real-world
network configuration that includes Force10 switches along with VMware and TBD
Networks software, will graphically show the configuration of VMware Hypervisors as
well as both network and switch configurations. The demonstration will show, in real
time, changes in the Hypervisor state, network topology and configuration of the
physical switch. The demonstration will also feature TBD Networks software
identifying and proactively eliminating storage and network resource bottlenecks to
optimize resource use and lower operating expenses.
Force10 Teams with Oracle/Sun to Demonstrate VLAN Configuration and Automation
Force10 will be demonstrating HyperLink functionality with Oracle/Sun using a
Force10 S50 top-of-rack access switch connected to a Sun server running Open Solaris
and Sun Crossbow. Using open standard protocols, Sun and Force10 will demonstrate an
environment that offers VLAN automation without the need for middleware. VLANS are
graphically defined in the Solaris OS running on the server, open standard protocols
are then used to "publish" the VLAN's requirements to a trusted port of an adjacent
Force10 switch automatically, creating the required VLAN configuration that allows
flow-through provisioning of the network element.
Force10, Solutions Partner Agilysys Debut "Cloud in a Box"
Working with Sun and Force10, Agilysys is demonstrating a
hardware/software/services solution targeted at customers looking to deploy private
clouds. Customers are recognizing the need to deploy private clouds in an effort to
address new application models and the need for the increased agility in deploying
new services and the trend toward everything as a service. Featuring the Sun
Microsystems VeriScale dynamic infrastructure software with a Force10 C-Series
switch, the three companies will demonstrate true bi-directional, dynamic scaling of
infrastructure against user-definable business and application metrics. The turnkey
solution is generally available from Agilysys as a single rack of equipment with
compute, storage and networking in a bundled solution.
About Force10 Networks
Force10 Networks is the global technology leader that data center, service
provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their business. The
company's high performance Ethernet switching and routing solutions virtualize and
automate Ethernet networks to deliver new and distinct economic advantages by
increasing network availability, agility and efficiency while reducing power and
cooling costs. Force10 provides 24x7 service and support capabilities to its global
customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information on Force10
Force10 Networks, Force10, E-Series, Traverse, and TraverseEdge are registered
trademarks and ExaScale, S-Series, TeraScale, and FTOS are trademarks of Force10
Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.
Contact:
Kevin Kimball
Force10 Networks Inc.
+1-408-571-3544
kkimball@force10networks.com
SOURCE: Force10 Networks
CONTACT: Kevin Kimball,
Force10 Networks Inc.,
+1-408-571-3544,
kkimball@force10networks.com
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