Extreme Networks: Partner Solution Brief

Make Your Network Mobile

Challenge

Network visibility and traffic monitoring in large scale, high speed networks presents several challenges due to the high cost of network analyzers with high speed interfaces, the complexity of physically moving monitoring ports to specific network switches wherever monitoring is required, and filtering out specific traffic flows.

Extreme Networks® switches in OpenFlow-enabled networks, in combination with the Big Switch Big Tap application, provide a superior solution for traffic monitoring and dynamic network visibility with flow filtering.

Solution Overview

When used in conjunction with the Big Switch Big Tap application, Extreme Networks Ethernet switches provide fine-grained filtering and monitoring capability down to the individual flow level, without requiring expensive dedicated external tap devices and while still utilizing the traditional switching capabilities of the switches.

The Big Tap application provides the ability to filter specific flows on Extreme Networks OpenFlow-enabled switches, and forward just that flow to a central network monitoring device on the network, while the actual traffic conversation between the end points continues. This type of activity monitoring provides a flexible solution for security and troubleshooting many other applications.

Existing deployments of Extreme Networks infrastructure products that support OpenFlow can fully benefit from this solution without going through an expensive “rip and replace”

Key Value of Extreme Networks Switches and Big Switch Big Tap

• Provideubiquitousnetworktrafficvisibilitytoallsecurity and monitoring appliances using the OpenFlow SDN architecture.

• Abilitytodynamicallyfilterandselectivelyforward network traffic to security and monitoring appliances.

• Highcostsavingsrelativetoalternativesolutions.

• Seamlessscalabilitytothousandsofinputs/sources.

• PerformswithexistingdeployedExtremeNetworksswitches that are OpenFlow enabled.

cycle. New deployments can also greatly benefit, due to the hybrid mode of operation of the Extreme Networks switches at speeds scaling up from 1Gps to 10Gps to 40Gps and soon to 100Gbs.

The Power of Extreme Networks OpenFlow-enabled Switches

Network Visibility with Big Switch Big Tap

© 2012 Extreme Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Extreme Networks: Partner Solution Brief

Make Your Network Mobile

Highly Scalable Virtual Networks with Big Switch Big Virtual Switch

Challenge

Data center network management, control and provisioning is an increasing challenge due to siloed workflows across physical and virtual infrastructures, scaling issues associated with the growing number of VMs as well as VM mobility and the use of constructssuchasVLANsforsecurityandpolicy.AddressingSLAsassociatedwithapplicationsrunninginbothprivateandpublic cloud environments is also a challenge due to poor visibility and control across physical and virtual environments and in hybrid cloud models.

Acentralizedapproachaddressingboththephysicalandvirtual environments and overcoming these network silos can significantly reduce the challenges associated with these environments, reduce the scope for manual errors and increase operational efficiency.

Solution Overview

Extreme Networks OpenFlow-enabled switches, in conjunction with the BVS application from Big Switch, provide a high performance solution that can address both the scaling and automation challenges described above.

BVS, in conjunction with Extreme Networks OpenFlow-enabled switches, allows the physical network to be provisioned into multiple logical networks from Layer 2 to Layer 7 that can be mapped to applications and tenants, as well as the associated security and access policies required in these types of deployments.

By providing a centralized platform that can work with both physical network switches from Extreme Networks as well as virtual switches, BVS provides a consistent end-to-end solution from server and storage edge to the network core, while overcoming the challenges of traditional network virtualization

Key Value - Extreme Networks Switches and Big Switch Networks Big Virtual Switch (BVS)

• Increasedspeedandagility-networkscanbeprovisioned in seconds without human intervention.

• Performsat1G/10G/40Gbsandhigherspeeds.

• Bestofbreedapproachtoaddressphysicalandvirtual switching.

• Cloudscalability-virtualnetworksaredecoupledfromVLANlimitations.

• Improveddatacenterutilizationbytheeliminationofnetwork boundaries.

• Persistentsecuritypoliciesthatisolateensuretenantisolation regardless of the physical locations of virtual machines.

• Supportforbothphysicalandvirtualnetworkinginfrastructure extends virtual networks beyond virtual machines to physical servers and storage as well.

technologiesthathavereliedonLayer2basedVLANs.

Existing deployments using Extreme Networks infrastructure that support OpenFlow can benefit from this solution without going through an expensive “rip and replace” cycle. New deployments can also benefit greatly due hybrid mode of operation of the Extreme Networks switches.

© 2012 Extreme Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Extreme Networks: Partner Solution Brief

Make Your Network Mobile

Host EHost DHost CHost BHost A

SDN Controller

Big Virtual Switch Big Tap App App App

BlackDiamond® X8 BlackDiamond X8 BlackDiamond X8

BlackDiamond X8

BlackDiamond 8K

Summit X480

Summit X480

Summit X480

Summit X480Summit X480

Summit® X480

BlackDiamond 8KBlackDiamond 8K

Conclusion

Extreme Networks switches provide cost-effective 1, 10 and 40Gb Ethernet hardware data planes that integrate with the Big Switch Big Virtual Switch and Big Tap application to create large physical and virtual networks and flexible and agile network visibility solutions. With an ever-increasing list of capabilities that comply with current OpenFlow standards, Extreme Networks is dedicated to providing the optimal hardware data plane for Software Defined Networks and supporting the most cost effective network application delivery platform.

Figure 1: Extreme Networks Network and Big Switch Networks – BVS and Big Tap Solution Design

Make Your Network Mobile

© 2012 Extreme Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Extreme Networks, the Extreme Networks logo , BlackDiamond, ExtremeXOS and Summit are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Extreme Networks, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the trademarks of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice. 1882_01 11/12

extremenetworks.com

Corporateand North AmericaExtreme Networks, Inc.3585 Monroe Street Santa Clara, CA 95051 USAPhone +1 408 579 2800

Europe, Middle East, Africaand South AmericaPhone +31 30 800 5100

Asia PacificPhone +65 6836 5437

Latin AmericaPhone +52 55 5557 6465

Extreme Networks: Partner Solution Brief

About Big Switch Networks

BigSwitchNetworksistheleadingEnterpriseSDNCompanyand the #1 controller in the Enterprise amongst Fortune 500 companies. Big Switch Networks delivers a highly scalable Software Defined Networking (SDN) platform, network virtualization and applications to customers who want flexibility, value, and choice with support for the virtual and physical infrastructure they have today. The company champions open standards and interoperability and has developed both an open core and commercial controller backed by the largest SDN ecosystem of OpenFlow applications and physical and hypervisor switches. Network virtualization and other applications, which accelerate delivery of cloud services, are in customer trials today. Key members of Stanford SDN Team founded Big Switch Networks in 2010.

About Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks is a leading provider of Wired and Wireless solutions and has always been at the forefront of innovative networking. With a vision, technology, ability, and focused dedication to deliver an inclusive solution that spans the converged edge to the datacenter core and beyond, Extreme Networks now offers platforms to deliver Software Defined Networking.

Extreme Networks delivers best-in-class Ethernet technologies; powerful end-point awareness that optimizes the Quality of User Experience by recognizing users, their devices and virtual machines; and ExtremeXOS®, an end-to-end modular, extensible, and always-on operating system that adds intelligence to the network. Further, the power of ExtremeXOS guarantees predictability from the edge to the cloud. Whether the network is a cost of doing business or an ongoing expense, Extreme Networks platforms offer network planners the tools to build a more flexible and cost-effective infrastructure.