Juniper Networks said it has shipping a commercial software-defined networking (SDN) controller called Contrail and an open-source version of the source code library called OpenContrail in an effort to foster widespread SDN adoption. Further, the new launches have already attracted attention from wireless players.
Commercial customers will receive Juniper service and support with their purchase, while Contrail users will not, but Juniper has pledged to update OpenContrail, according to NetworkWorld. The new offerings stem from Juniper's acquisition of SDN vendor Contrail Systems last December.
Bob Muglia, executive vice president of Juniper's software solutions division, told NetworkWorld that Juniper will "fulfill" its two-year commitment OpenDaylight, the vendor community-driven effort to build an open-source SDN controller. He said Juniper will not build product around OpenDaylight but noted the company is "open to contributing OpenContrail to OpenDaylight."
"We have worked closely with Juniper and the Contrail team to understand their innovations in this area and are currently testing the platform satisfactorily in our environment. We are pleased with Juniper's decision to open source Contrail as we believe this will accelerate SDN developments and the creation of new applications," said Lu Huang, technical manager at China Mobile Research Institute, the research unit of the world's largest mobile operator.
Late last month, Juniper killed off its MobileNext evolved packet core (EPC) as part of a move to use SDN and network functions virtualization (NFV) to satisfy customers' future requirements.
In related news, Flash Networks announced it is integrating its virtualized Harmony Mobile Internet Services Gateway with Juniper's Contrail SDN Controller.
"Flash Networks' Harmony solutions support deployments in a virtualized network environment, enabling mobile operators to accelerate, optimize, and monetize their data traffic with increased network flexibility and scalability at a lower total cost of ownership," said Liam Galin, president and CEO of Flash. He said integrating Contrail with its Harmony gateway "will allow us to deliver Harmony on mobile operators' cloud-based networks even more efficiently and cost effectively."
Flash claims Harmony can accelerates LTE networks by 50 percent and reduce web and video traffic data by 30 percent. Its customers include Orange, SingTel Group, MTS, T-Mobile, SK Telecom and Telekom Austria Group.
For more:
- see this Juniper release and this release
- see this Flash Networks release
- see this NetworkWorld article
- see this eWeek article
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