There is a lot of interest in building private cloud based on OpenStack and software defined networking (SDN). Unfortunately, getting started can be expensive and painful, requiring serious time and equipment. Getting your executive team to sign off on a pilot can be difficult without showing flashing lights and whirling gizmos, which can be tough to do […]
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Why Oracle’s Acquisition of Xsigo Is Brilliant
August 6, 2012 
2 Comments
When I read the headline ‘Oracle acquires SDN company Xsigo’ I literally laughed out loud. I had never heard Xsigo and SDN in the same discussion, let alone the same sentence. Oracle had been on my list of companies looking to acquire SDN properties but Xsigo? The future of SDN, in my opinion, is tight coupling of the physical […]
Read more Using An OpenFlow Switch As A Programmable Patch Panel
May 3, 2012 6 Comments
When I started exploring the OpenFlow protocol I was struck by how fundamentally it could change networking. OpenFlow truly provides a clean slate to correct the network mess we have created over the last 20 years. Solutions such as network virtualization, lawful intercept, network service insertion and other super cool (and highly desirable) concepts based […]
Read moreBuilding a Scalable OpenFlow Network with MAC Based Routing
April 23, 2012 10 Comments
Fabrics have been the talk of the industry for the last few years but they are getting overshadowed by the buzz around software defined networking (SDN) and OpenFlow. It is easy to see why based on what I saw at last weeks Open Network Summit (ONS). There were dozens of vendors showcasing OpenFlow based solutions including six […]
Read more A Wakeup Call for Network Administrators
April 6, 2012 3 Comments
Over the last five years I’ve watched server virtualization become ubiquitous in most data centers, based on the promise of higher infrastructure and increased business agility. I’ve also watched server administrators throw up their hands in frustration, as network administrators have been unable to provide the networks needed to harness the true value of the […]
Read more Your Network Is About To Get Simpler
February 21, 2012 2 Comments
It was 2004 when I saw vMotion for the first time. I was in a room with a bunch of very excited server administrators cheering at the amazing feat they just witnessed. The discussion quickly turned to how this will enable a level of flexibility only dreamed of before. I, as the lone network engineer […]
Read more Cisco Is Testing the OpenFlow Waters
October 18, 2011 1 Comment
Last week I was sitting in a cafeteria on Cisco’s San Jose campus drinking my morning Latte (tall with non-fat milk, in case anyone is running to Starbucks) when I had a chance encounter with a former colleague of mine. I asked the typical small talk questions about how he was doing and what he […]
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