A new OPEN-Orchestrator Project (OPEN-O) is getting underway to develop the first open source software framework and orchestrator to enable agile software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) operations. The initiative is driven by China Mobile and Huawei, with early support from Brocade, China Telecom, DynaTrace, Ericsson, F5 Networks, GigaSpaces, Infoblox, Intel, KT, Red Hat, Raisecom, Riverbed and ZTE. The project will be hosted by The Linux Foundation.
As an open source orchestration framework, OPEN-O will integrate open networking technologies and enable carriers to quickly and cost-effectively implement SDN and NFV through open source code development. The project will also aim to accelerate multi-vendor integration, service innovation and improve agility across network operations.
“China born and global in nature, OPEN-O will unite industry forces to set up the world’s first SDN and NFV unified orchestrator, serving as an important step in promoting deeper convergence among SDN and NFV technologies and innovation in the networking industry,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director, The Linux Foundation.
“The Telecommunication 4.0 era features the full convergence of IT and CT; it relies on NFV and SDN as the key technical enablers for automatic deployment and agile operation. The orchestrator functions at the top part of them play the critical role. We are hoping that all partners work together to build the healthy ecosystem and accelerate the maturity of SDN and NFV. By embracing open source, China Mobile is expecting that the OPEN-O project will develop state-of-art open-source orchestrator software,” stated Li Zhengmao, executive vice president of China Mobile.
