Floodlight is an open source Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller, backed by networking startup Big Switch.
The new 0.85 release will now integrate with the open source OpenStack cloud
platform enabling SDN control across a cloud environment.
“Floodlight offers a central management point for OpenFlow networks – it can manage devices like open vswitch transparently for OpenStack,” Mike Cohen, product manager at Big Switch, told InternetNews. “In fact, Floodlight also supports a broad range of physical OpenFlow switches on the market today as well so it greatly simplifies network management. “
OpenFlow is the primary SDN protocol in use today to enable SDN. With SDN the control and data plane of a network is separated enabling broader network programability. OpenStack is an open source multi-stakeholder cloud project which has the support of IBM, HP, Dell, Cisco, AT&T, Red Hat, SUSE and Canonical among other big name IT vendors.
OpenStack has its own networking project called Quantum which enables some virtual networking capabilities by way of the vSwitch virtual switch. Going beyond what Quantum on its own provides, Cohen noted that having the Floodlight SDN controller will provide additional functionality. He explained that Floodlight will enable administrators to create isolated multi-tenant virtual networks using physical and hypervisor-based OpenFlow switches. Multiple vendors including HP, Juniper and Cisco have varying degrees of OpenFlow support available today on switching platforms.
Read the full story at EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet:
Open Source Floodlight Extends Software Defined Networking to OpenStack
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.
