Dell EMC World: Open Networking Products For IT Transformation by Dell EMC

Highlights:

Analyst research shows open networking models with 53% of the TCO compared to proprietary models
25GbE Open Networking top-of-rack switch raises switching speed limits, offers more than 2x in-rack throughput of 10GbE switches
First optimized Open Networking platform for unified storage network switching with support for 16Gb/32Gb FC
Family of energy-efficient and cost-effective Open Networking switches for SMBs enable workforce transformation

Dell EMC, part of Dell Technologies, announces open networking capabilities to help customers transform their IT operations to lower IT costs, get quicker returns on investments and deliver new digital capabilities.

Remaining competitive today requires Digital Transformation. A logical first step in the process is IT Transformation to modernize the data center, automate productivity and change operating models. Flexible network architectures are key to allowing organizations to react quickly to changing business or customer requirements with less disruption and lower costs.

“At Dell EMC, we believe networks work best when open, granting customers of all sizes maximum choice and capability,” said Tom Burns, SVP, networking, enterprise infrastructure and service provider, Dell EMC. “By disaggregating networking system software, and by decoupling networking software from hardware platforms, companies can free themselves from the rigid and proprietary environments of yesterday to embrace software-defined principles and unlock innovation at any scale.“

Recent TCO report from ACG Research, partially underwritten by Dell EMC, studied a prominent tier-1 service provider that did analysis and testing of network functions virtualization (NFV) models at scale in its national services infrastructure. The tier-1e service provider chose an open, modular and extensible design as the foundation for deploying key elements in its service delivery PODs (a dimensioned set of infrastructure designed for rapid deployment and replication).

The results show:

Five-year cumulative TCO of an open architecture POD (OAP) in this operator’s design is 53% of the cumulative TCO compared to the tightly bundled POD (TBP)
Capital expenditures of the OAP are 47% less
Five-year operating expenditures of the OAP are 57% of the TBP
Application or service creation in the OAP requires 1/3 the time on average
Underlying reasons for these advantages are openness in components’ hardware and software designs, automation based on open standards as well as standard APIs and information models

Open networking portfolio additions increase performance, reduce ongoing costs

The open networking pioneer, the company delivers on the promise of software-defined networking (SDN) to make network operations more flexible, programmable and easier to manage. An agile, programmable network is fundamental to transforming IT operations and addressing the ever-changing needs and demands of applications and workloads in the data center.

S5100-ON series is a 25GbE open networking switch, offering more than 2x throughput of 10GbE switches for in-rack connectivity. It matches the PowerEdge 14 th generation servers shipping with native 25GbE support. The switches 100GbE uplinks are designed for 100GbE fabric connectivity, accelerating rack-to-rack (east-west) network traffic. This is for Web 2.0, enterprise, and cloud service providers looking to maximize application and service performance.
S4100-ON series delivers multi-functional, top-of-rack data center Open Networking switches optimized for high densities of 10GbE fiber/copper or FC 8/16/32 server and converged local area networks (LAN)/SANs (SAN) within racks. All of these switches include the performance 100GbE uplink ports for inter-rack communication. Included in this family is the S4148U, a new unified switch for both Ethernet and FC traffic for connecting to the company’s storage solutions. This Open Networking switch pushes the limits of FC connectivity as the firm’s first optimized to support 32Gb FC for customers who want to further converge LAN/SAN operations. The S4148U’s design enables customers to deploy Ethernet top-of-rack and FC switching in the same physical switch or further converge LAN/SAN using FcoE.

OS10 Enterprise Edition
Click to enlarge

The S5100-ON and S4100-ON are the first to ship standard with OS10 Enterprise Edition, the company’s networking OS. Based on open source technologies from the Linux Foundation and Open Compute Project, it is a next-generation, modular and programmable network OS designed for both traditional networking and DevOps environments.

The OS10 Enterprise Edition package provides layer two and layer three networking functionality but also allows customers to customize the software for different environments. Customers can integrate additional open source capabilities, add third-party Linux applications, or develop their own software using standard Linux and DevOps tools.

N1100-ON series

N1100-ON series is a family of energy-efficient and cost-effective switches for campus environments. The series includes a number of fanless switches in half and full width options, Power over Ethernet (POE/POE+) and non-POE versions, and port configurations from 10/100/1000Mb/s to 1/10GbE. The N1100-ON series switches are designed to pair with Aerohive’s HiveManager NG – a next-generation cloud-based management solution that simplifies end-user wired and wireless access, setting a standard for network convergence by bringing enterprise management to the public or private cloud.

The N1100 switches support IoT initiatives and workforce transformations that drive a wireless-first work space, where end users and access points get connected wherever they are located. For SMBs environments, the switches complement the recently announced N3100-ON and N2100-ON switches designed for larger campus environments. The N3100-ON and N2100-ON switches are multi-gig open networking switches optimized for emerging 2.5GbE/5GbE high speed campus networking to enable next generation wireless LAN infrastructure in the enterprise.

Dell EMC Services jump-start networking solutions
Strategic partnering with technology and industry subject matter experts can help accelerate IT and workforce transformations. By using the best practices, tools and services of trusted partners, IT organizations can perform initial transformative tasks more efficiently while focusing resources and talent where it makes the most difference in an enterprise.

NFV Advisory Services feature:

A workshop to research the customer’s foundational requirements and provide design recommendations to implement NFV infrastructure solutions
Proof of technology for a detailed on-site assessment of an operator’s infrastructure and operational environment as well as their readiness for the insertion of virtualized network nodes
ROI advisory, which delivers a detailed analysis on the key financial impacts that will result in the transformation to NFV and SDN

IoT Technology Advisory Service is a consulting offer to help organizations determine the key capabilities and architecture required to leverage IoT data (e.g., sensors, beacons, mobile phones, wearables, connected devices). This information can be used for initiatives such as optimizing key operational processes, reducing compliance and security risks, uncovering new revenue opportunities and creating more compelling customer engagements.

Avaibility:

S5100-ON series is expected to available in the third quarter of the company’ 2018 fiscal year
S4100-ON series is expected to begin shipping select models in the second quarter of the firm’ 2018 fiscal year. Additional models will begin shipping throughout the year
N1100-ON series is expected to be available in the second quarter of the company’ 2018 fiscal year
NFV Advisory Services are expected to be available in the second quarter of the firm’ 2018 fiscal year
IoT Technology Advisory Services are available

Blog: Powering IT Transformation with Open Networking