Tech giants back open networking

data centre operators are joining forces to back an open networking standard, a move they say will accelerate innovation and make it easier to manage their far-flung networks, reports Data Center Knowledge.

Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo have teamed with telecom giants Verizon and Deutsche Telekom to form the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), which will advance the development of a new open source networking protocol called OpenFlow.

The group's goal is to boost software-defined networking (SDN), which separates the programming of routers and switches from the underlying hardware.

This approach could simplify the management of global networks of data centres, making it easier to redirect traffic around hardware failures. It may also bring energy savings by making it easier to identify underused devices and shut them off until they are needed again.

According to The New York Times, the changes, if widely adopted, would have implications for global telecommunications networks and large corporate data centres as well as for small household networks.

The benefits, proponents say, would be more flexible and secure networks that are less likely to suffer from congestion. Someday, they say, networks might even be less expensive to build and operate.

The new approach could allow for setting up on-demand 'express lanes' for voice and data traffic that is time-sensitive.

“Software-defined networking will allow networks to evolve and improve more quickly than they can today,” says Urs Hoelzle, ONF president and chairman of the board, and senior VP of engineering at Google, writes Sys.con.

“Over time, we expect SDN will help networks become both more secure and more reliable.”