LF Networking and OCP Partner to Jointly Enable SDN and NFV Transformation

• Collaboration across open hardware and software to enable full open source stacks
• Expanded integration and test of OCP hardware with OPNFV
• Harmonization across disaggregated hardware with Switch Network Operating Systems

SAN JOSE, Calif. (OCP Summit), March 20, 2018—The Linux Foundation and the Open Compute Project (OCP), a collaborative community focused on redesigning hardware technology to efficiently support the growing demands on compute infrastructure, today announced a joint collaboration to further the development of software- and hardware-based open source networking. The organizations will work together to create stronger integration and testing, new open networking features, more scalability, a reduction in CAPEX/OPEX, greater harmonization with switch network operating systems, and increased interoperability for network functions virtualization (NFV) network transformation.

Virtualization of network functions and the resulting disaggregation of hardware and software have created interest in open source at both layers. OCP provides an open source option for the hardware layer, and The Linux Foundation’s OPNFV project integrates OCP along with other open source software projects into relevant NFV reference architectures. Given this alignment, OCP and OPNFV already have been collaborating on activities such as plugfests and joint demos. Now they have committed to expanded collaborative efforts.

“The Open Compute Project has been quite successful at disaggregating traditional IT gear and creating vanity free ingredients. It is now time to carefully select the ideal hardware and software ingredients to re-integrate into efficient solutions,” said Bill Carter, chief technology office, OCP.
“The work being done by OPNFV is a key piece of that re-integration: bringing together the best open source software projects together with the best choices of open source hardware, to enable NFV. By integrating and testing a set of reference architectures on top of efficient, scalable cloud hardware, OPNFV is removing all the roadblocks to NFV adoption and transformation of the telecom infrastructure.”

“It’s exciting to see the principles of open source software development come to hardware, and OCP has already made a substantial contribution to some Linux Foundation project plugfests and demos,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, networking, The Linux Foundation. “We see OCP as an integral partner as we explore new opportunities for NFV deployments, performance, features, and footprint. Global network operators agree and ranked OCP very high on a list of the most important projects for OPNFV in a recent survey. We look forward to continued and intensified collaboration across ecosystems.”

OCP, LF Networking projects, and other ecosystem partners will be onsite at ONS North America, March 26-29 in Los Angeles. The event will include six tracks bringing networking and orchestration innovations together with a focus on the convergence of business (CIO/CTO/architects) and technical (DevOps) communities.  More detailed information on how OCP and OPNFV are collaborating is available in a new OPNFV + Open Compute Project Solution Brief, available here.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world’s top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and industry adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

About Open Compute Project
The Open Compute Project Foundation is a 501(c)(6) organization which was founded in 2011 by Facebook, Intel, and Rackspace. Its mission is to apply the benefits of open source to hardware and rapidly increase the pace of innovation in, near and around the data center and beyond. Learn more at www.opencompute.org.

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