Extreme Networks Unveils Open and Standards-Based SDN Platform

Extreme Networks, Inc., a high performance networking solutions provider, has announced its software defined networking (SDN) platform to promote community led innovation.

Extreme Networks believes customers should be able to migrate their existing (brownfield) networks to SDN without expensive forklift upgrades. Seamless SDN migration requires both an open, standards-based and comprehensive approach with strong community mindshare and robust vendor ecosystem support.

Extreme Networks' SDN platform is based on a comprehensive, hardened OpenDaylight (ODL) controller that uniquely includes: network management, network access control, application analytics and wireless controller technology. Extreme Networks' comprehensive approach preserves the integrity of the open API provided by ODL while extending data center orchestration, automation and provisioning to the entire network under a single pane of glass.

Extreme Networks' simple, fast and smart SDN platform tightly integrates with existing and multi-vendor hardware and software network environments, preserving customer investments and avoiding vendor lock-in. Backward compatibility is maintained with multi-vendor network infrastructure that conforms to the OpenFlow standard and other open APIs. Extreme Networks' OpenDaylight-based API, software development kit (SDK) and developer community will enable customers to evolve with the network to keep pace with emerging security, wireless and converged SDN infrastructure.

Extreme Networks' SDN Innovation Challenge To fuel innovation and mindshare, Extreme Networks, along with US Ignite, is announcing the Extreme SDN Innovation Challenge. The development initiative will award prizes for applications that leverage the Extreme Networks SDN platform that best drive innovation. Extreme Networks will extend its APIs to allow developers to create applications with a rich software development kit. The challenge starts in September 2014 and runs until May 2015 and is open to U.S. university students and US Ignite members in good standing.

Talking about this development, Billy Moon, Distinguished Engineer, Extreme Networks, said, "This is an exciting time in the industry as development of open APIs will transform networks to enable the customization and efficiency that enterprises and service providers need. Extreme's SDN Platform works to address customer needs by providing an open and standards-based model that takes advantage of our proven technology innovations, and the collaboration of the industry through the OpenDaylight project."

Neela Jacques, Executive Director, OpenDaylight, explained, "The OpenDaylight project was created to provide an open platform for network programmability to drive and enable SDN. The interoperability and openness that Extreme Networks provides through its comprehensive approach complements the goals of our community perfectly. We are excited to have Extreme Networks as a member and we look forward to the continued collaboration and the integration of OpenDaylight with their SDN platform."