Direct Attach Architecture to Increase Data Center Performance, Reduce Network Tiers

Extreme Networks Inc. has announced its innovative “Direct Attach” architecture for data centers, an architecture designed to bring virtual machine switching back into the network and out of the server.

Extreme Networks Direct Attach data center architecture is an evolutionary approach that allows virtual machines to be directly attached to the network without having to go through a full layer of software switching in the server. This approach to virtualized networks greatly simplifies management, monitoring and troubleshooting, while improving network performance in highly virtualized data center environments.

The architecture moves VM switching out of the server and into network switches, delivering wire-speed, network-based switching to VMs while dramatically reducing the number of managed switches through the elimination of the virtual switch layer. In addition, the Extreme Networks Direct Attach architecture significantly simplifies management and troubleshooting by exposing inter-VM traffic to traditional, mature and well-understood networking tools, such as ACLs, firewalls and IDS.

Extreme Networks' Direct Attach will be made available through a licensable ExtremeXOS software module, ranging across Extreme Networks’ portfolio of data center switching products. This includes fixed configuration stackable Summit switches, including the Summit X450, Summit X480, Summit X650 and the BlackDiamond 8800 modular switching platform.

The architecture is a critical element included in the Extreme Networks' Four Pillar vision for the data center, enabling enterprises, managed hosting providers and cloud providers to seamlessly migrate from a physical network to a virtual network to cloud environments.

Extreme Networks