Large cloud builders and web-hosting companies are seeking ways to build large-scale cost-effective data centre networks to support hundreds and thousands of servers.

Juniper Networks, the industry leader in network innovation, has introduced the OCX1100, the first switch that combines Open Compute Project-based hardware with its Junos Operating System. The OCX1100 removes the burden of support, installation and maintenance on cloud providers.

The switch, which will be made available in the first quarter of 2015, will provide customers building massive data centres with an open, cost-effective and disaggregated switching platform. The Facebook-initiated Open Compute Project (OCP) was launched in 2011, to develop economical open source computer hardware.

The OCX1100 runs an optimised version of the Junos OS, which delivers the features required for deployment in L3 networks.

It provides support for native installation of tools such as Puppet and Chef, which enables automated programming and provisioning. It has several open software interfaces, such as Python that allow custom scripts and applications to interact with the OS.

The OCX1100 gives customers the freedom to remove Junos and install any third-party network operating system.

According to Rohi Mehra, Vice-President, network infrastructure, International Data Corporation, “Network dis-aggregation is a significant market transition being looked at favourably by large cloud providers and some early adopter enterprises … (it) can provide a platform for innovation and sustained operational gains. IDC predicts that in 2015, some of the major network infrastructure providers will provide a befitting response to this growing interest in white box switches, and Juniper’s launch of the open networking switch is clearly a positive step in that direction.”

Juniper is working with Alpha Networks, an original device manufacturer, on the hardware design, which has been submitted to the open computer project for review.

Cloud collaboration The event also saw Juniper Networks and VMware, a leader in virtualisation and cloud infrastructure, announce their joint Asia Pacific strategy aimed at accelerating the adoption of private cloud solutions across the region.

The latest announcement follows last year’s expansion of the two companies’ global technology partnership on integration of the VMware NSX network virtualisation platform and Juniper’s MetaFabric architecture for virtualised data centre networking in the region.

The writer is in Singapore at the invitation of Juniper Networks

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