Facebook debuts Minipack, an open modular switch for datacenters
During a keynote at the 2019 Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit in San Jose, Facebook today debuted Minipack, a modular whitebox network switch platform it claims is the first of its kind with an "open" design.
"We are excited to work with the community to develop an ecosystem around Minipack," said director of engineering at Facebook Hans-Juergen Schmidtke in a statement. "It's the next generation of open, modular switch platforms that is more flexible, scalable and efficient for modern data centers."
The Minipack AS8000 Switch — which was developed by Edgecore Networks, the division of Accton Technology specializing in traditional and open network solutions — is based on Broadcom's StrataXGS Tomahawk III Switch Series, but occupies a smaller footprint while delivering more compute power at a lower price point. It supports a mix of 100G and 400G Ethernet interfaces up to a maximum of 128 100G or 32 400G ports, and packs Broadcom’s Tomahawk III chips, which Broadcom claims are the highest-performing switch silicon on the market.
Cumulus Linux, a Linux-based network operating system developed and maintained by Mountain View, California's Cumulus Networks, will be the first to support the Minipack fully. As on existing switches, Cumulus will leverage Ethernet VPN (EVNP) and the BGP routing protocol to provide an interoperable control-plane switching solution for Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) tunnels. Additionally, it'll offer tooling and automation features that allow for single operational models spanning more than 100 platforms.
"Cumulus and Minipack will power the next generation of data center architecture," said Cumulus Networks cofounder and CTO JR Rivers. "The modular design of Minipack brings a more open approach to hardware, complementing what Cumulus has been doing on the open networking side for years with over 100 different cost-effective hardware options. We've always believed that hardware is an important part of the open ecosystem, and through our close work with the teams at Facebook, Edgecore, and Broadcom, the availability of Minipack with Cumulus Linux is a market-leveler — bringing a new level of control over cost and operations that was previously only accessible to the largest network operators."
Please refer to below link for the full article: https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/14/facebook-debuts-minipack-an-open-modular-switch-for-datacenters/
"We are excited to work with the community to develop an ecosystem around Minipack," said director of engineering at Facebook Hans-Juergen Schmidtke in a statement. "It's the next generation of open, modular switch platforms that is more flexible, scalable and efficient for modern data centers."
The Minipack AS8000 Switch — which was developed by Edgecore Networks, the division of Accton Technology specializing in traditional and open network solutions — is based on Broadcom's StrataXGS Tomahawk III Switch Series, but occupies a smaller footprint while delivering more compute power at a lower price point. It supports a mix of 100G and 400G Ethernet interfaces up to a maximum of 128 100G or 32 400G ports, and packs Broadcom’s Tomahawk III chips, which Broadcom claims are the highest-performing switch silicon on the market.
Cumulus Linux, a Linux-based network operating system developed and maintained by Mountain View, California's Cumulus Networks, will be the first to support the Minipack fully. As on existing switches, Cumulus will leverage Ethernet VPN (EVNP) and the BGP routing protocol to provide an interoperable control-plane switching solution for Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) tunnels. Additionally, it'll offer tooling and automation features that allow for single operational models spanning more than 100 platforms.
"Cumulus and Minipack will power the next generation of data center architecture," said Cumulus Networks cofounder and CTO JR Rivers. "The modular design of Minipack brings a more open approach to hardware, complementing what Cumulus has been doing on the open networking side for years with over 100 different cost-effective hardware options. We've always believed that hardware is an important part of the open ecosystem, and through our close work with the teams at Facebook, Edgecore, and Broadcom, the availability of Minipack with Cumulus Linux is a market-leveler — bringing a new level of control over cost and operations that was previously only accessible to the largest network operators."
Please refer to below link for the full article: https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/14/facebook-debuts-minipack-an-open-modular-switch-for-datacenters/