BWI: Extreme Networks Launches New Products for Optimum Data Centre Performance

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Extreme Networks, Inc.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 02:31 PM IST (09:01 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Business services, Information technology; Technology
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Extreme Networks Launches New Products for Optimum Data Centre Performance
Extreme Networks Introduces Direct Attach architecture to Increase Data Center Performance and Reduce Network Tiers; Extreme Networks Introduces Dynamic virtualization Management for the Data Center

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 20, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR) today announced its innovative "Direct Attach" architecture for data centers, an architecture designed to bring virtual machine switching back into the network and out of the server. Extreme Networks® Direct AttachT data center architecture is an evolutionary approach that allows virtual machines to be directly attached to the network without having to go through a full layer of software switching in the server. This approach to virtualized networks greatly simplifies management, monitoring and troubleshooting, while improving network performance in highly virtualized data center environments. "While embedded virtual switches have enabled early server virtualization projects they can limit performance and increase complexity," said Joe Skorupa, Research Vice President, data center and transformation and security, at Gartner, Inc. "Emerging technologies like direct I/O and VEPA allow VM to VM switching to be implemented in hardware in the first physical switch, increasing performance and simplifying management."

Extreme Networks Direct Attach architecture moves VM switching out of the server and into network switches, delivering wire-speed, network-based switching to VMs while dramatically reducing the number of managed switches through the elimination of the virtual switch layer. In addition, Extreme Networks Direct Attach architecture significantly simplifies management and troubleshooting by exposing inter-VM traffic to traditional, mature and well-understood networking tools, such as ACLs, firewalls and IDS. Extreme Networks Direct Attach architecture will interoperate with emerging IEEE 8021.Qbg, providing an easy and seamless migration path for organizations in addition to built-in investment protection. "Extreme Networks' Direct Attach architecture to virtual machine switching is a visionary step resulting in cost and performance benefits for the data center," said Shehzad Merchant, senior director of strategy for Extreme Networks. "Organizations can now transition their data center from a physical to a virtual model without fear of being locked into any proprietary technology, realizing all the benefits of virtualization, and eliminating some of the most painful objections." Extreme Networks Direct Attach will be made available through a licensable ExtremeXOS® software module, ranging across Extreme Networks' portfolio of data center switching products. This includes fixed configuration stackable Summit® switches, including the Summit X450, Summit X480, Summit X650 and the BlackDiamond® 8800 modular switching platform. Extreme Networks Direct Attach architecture was named a Finalist for Best of Interop, recognizing the best new products in the virtualization category at Interop Las Vegas 2010. Extreme Networks Direct Attach architecture is a critical element included in the Company's Four Pillar vision for the data center, enabling enterprises, managed hosting providers and cloud providers to seamlessly migrate from a Physical network to a Virtual network to Cloud environments.

Availability

Extreme Networks Direct Attach has a targeted release of third quarter CY 2010 via a licensable software module upgrade.

IExtreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR) today announced a network-based dynamic data center virtualization lifecycle management solution that delivers unprecedented visibility, control and automation of Virtual Machines (VM) to the network administrator. Extreme Networks® is continuing its mission to simplify, scale and control data center network infrastructure with the introduction of Extreme Networks XNVT, a powerful set of loadable software modules addressing VM lifecycle management for the ExtremeXOS® modular operating system and its EPICenterT network management suite. XNV is the first data center management solution to deliver dynamic virtualization management across the network, logically bringing VM lifecycle management to the network while boosting operational efficiency and security. Traditionally, network administrators have had limited, if any tools for troubleshooting and managing VMs in the network. VMs are typically created, activated, moved around and de-activated dynamically through tools controlled by server administrators. Additionally, due to the ability of virtual machines to move across the data center dynamically, provisioning the network for VM security, as well as for application performance, poses a networking challenge due to the static nature of network policy enforcement.

In response to this challenge, Extreme Networks XNV VM lifecycle management provides network-level functionality, automation and capabilities for applying QoS, ACLs, bandwidth rate limiting, and counters and statistics to virtual machines, all in a dynamic and highly virtualized environment. "Extreme Networks' XNV Lifecycle Management increases the visibility and control of virtualized assets throughout the network," said Don Douglas, President of CityNAP, a company providing colocation, hosting and Tier 1 Internet peering. "Increasing the scale of our customers' VMWare environments will ultimately require more dynamic VM management and higher levels of integration with the data center network. Features such as VM tracking and location and a real-time inventory of VMs across the network helps reduce configuration errors, improve security, and reduce the time spent troubleshooting." "The network's capability to extend visibility and dynamic control of VMs as they proliferate throughout the data center is critical to operational efficiency and security," said Shehzad Merchant, senior director of strategy for Extreme Networks. "With XNV, Extreme Networks addresses these critical management and security challenges, while remaining committed to supporting heterogeneous virtualization environments." Extreme Networks XNV delivers complete lifecycle management capabilities, keeping the network in control as VMs move from their creation point to their end-of-life. Visibility is enhanced with added functionality providing detailed history, tracking and reporting of VMs as they dynamically move throughout the data center.

Control and Security for Virtualized Data Centers

Key to Extreme Networks XNV is the adoption of Virtual Port Profiles (VPPs) that dynamically couple network-level profiles to VMs as they are created and move throughout the network. XNV also extends mature network security capabilities to the individual virtual machine level. In addition, XNV delivers a powerful, centralized network-level inventory of all VMs, displaying their current locations within the network, down to the individual switch and port level, along with their roaming history for security, audit and compliance purposes. Through XNV, functionality such as time of day and network usage triggers and reporting, enhances security and performance in virtualized environments.

Operational Efficiency

Data center management teams are concerned with the costs and time associated with operating and maintaining their network and virtualization platforms. Extreme Networks XNV significantly improves operational efficiency and helps reduce costs for customers by reducing configuration errors, enabling automation, and providing faster troubleshooting through integration with server virtualization technologies. Additionally, these attributes, in turn, reduce application downtime and improve service response times. Extreme XNV is a significant component of Extreme Networks Four Pillar strategy addressing the evolution of the data center, a strategy that enables networks to migrate from physical to virtual to cloud network environments. Extreme Networks integrates virtualization with the network by leveraging its single modular OS, ExtremeXOS®, and comprehensive automation and customization capabilities, along with EPICenterT, its network management platform

Availability

Extreme Networks XNV software modules have a targeted release of the third quarter.


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KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, MARKETING, BUSINESS SERVICES, IT, TECHNOLOGY

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