Cumulus Networks has extended ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) to now support network OS integration with bare metal switches.
The company describes ACPI as a new standard for OS integration with servers, laptops and desktop computers.
The new expansion to this specification, called ACPI Platform Description, or APD, allows hardware providers to rapidly and more easily integrate network OSes, accelerating the proliferation of bare metal switches and providing customers choice of a broadened range of designs. The company also announced the Open Hardware program to accelerate the partner onboarding process and go-to-market collaboration.
Cumulus Networks contributed the Open Networking Install Environment, ONIE, to the Open Compute Project (OCP) to simplify OS loading. The company will now further the OCP goal of rapid innovation by contributing APD to the Project to simplify OS integration. Hardware vendors use APD to describe each platform to the network OS in a standard, machine-readable language. APD documentation and generic drivers will be contributed to the Linux kernel also, to give all network OS vendors the opportunity to speed time to market with hardware platforms.
“Great networking no longer requires a vendor-locked stack,” said Reza Malekzadeh, VP of Business, Cumulus Networks. “With APD for bare metal switches, networking is catching up with the server business. Now it’s all about cloud economics, speed of service delivery and a robust solutions ecosystem. This is a pivotal moment for the industry as open networking enters the mainstream. We’re pleased to announce Cumulus Linux support for APD along with our hardware partners.”
“The extension of the ACPI specification to networking allows hardware vendors to control their own time to market with bare metal switch offerings,” said Eli Karpilovski, Director of Product Marketing at Broadcom. “APD will enable shorter cycle time between the release of new switching technologies and the availability of hardware platforms to customers.”
