CEO Blog

Data center virtualization is clearly on the rise as more than 50% all enterprises are now employing server virtualization for production applications. At BLADE Network Technologies, we are committed to being at the forefront in the rapidly emerging arena of network virtualization. Today, we are proud to report that our top-of-rack RackSwitch data center switch products and our open network virtualization software are fully interoperable with HP's new Virtual Connect Flex10 technology for HP BladeSystem.

As our trusted partner HP advises, virtualizing the connection between servers and networks provides real benefits to all users. For example, as HP points out, Virtual Connect used in combination with BLADE's RackSwitch cuts network equipment costs up to 63% per virtual server and reduces complexity by consolidating network equipment 4 to 1. What's more, this powerful combination enables a converged "single-wire" fabric for networking and storage based on 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

BLADE's 10 and 1:10 Gigabit Ethernet RackSwitch products can aggregate network traffic and connections across multiple HP BladeSystem enclosures, each with HP Virtual Connect 10Gb Flex-10 modules, so that an entire data center network can be operated as one large virtual switch. Bandwidth, VLANs, security policies and other network parameters can be set once for an entire rack of servers, regardless of the number or type of servers. Additionally, network settings and security policies move as machines are added or moved to meet changes in demand without introducing security vulnerabilities.

BLADE's RackSwitch enables IT departments to leverage a new set of rules called Rackonomics to scale out their data center networks affordably and holistically at the rack level to decrease the total cost of ownership of data center infrastructures, reduce IT complexity and enable incremental scalability. For example, the powerful combination of HP Virtual Connect Flex-10, with its ability to allocate and fine tune NIC bandwidth, and BLADE's RackSwitch provide IT managers an ideal data center virtualization platform for consolidating LAN connections and simplifying server administration in today's wire-once virtual machines environments.

BLADE's RackSwitch products are designed to be "Virtual, Cooler and Easier". They consume just six watts per 10 GE port compared with 20 watts per 10 GE port for conventional chassis-based switches, and offer powerful virtualization capabilities. BLADE's SmartConnect software, running on the BLADE Ethernet switches, decouples server provisioning and network configuration tasks. Server capacity can be scaled by server administrators without requiring configuration of VLANs, spanning tree, routing protocols, or other network details via an intuitive drag-and-drop GUI interface. This allows server administrators the flexibility to reconfigure servers without involving network administrators. On the other side of the Ethernet switch, virtual interfaces to applications within the servers are presented as single attachment points for whole groups of servers. BLADE's SmartConnect is designed to simplify administrative tasks, such as deployment, control, and policy administration, thus reducing the TCO associated with blade server systems.

We're delighted that HP choose BLADE as one of the first partners to be recognized as a valuable contributor for extending the ecosystem for HP Virtual Connect.