Netsocket, a start-up based in Plano, Texas, unveiled its flagship Netsocket Virtual Network (NVN) product suite for bringing SDN-based orchestration and automation capabilities to enterprise infrastructure based commodity x86 servers.
Netsocket has developed a three-tier SDN architecture for interoperability and integration with legacy routed networks as well as higher level management systems such as Microsoft System Center. The NetSocketdesign uses a vFlow controller with routing, firewall, and VPN capabilities built-in.
Key goals include flexibility of configuration and management, seamless legacy network interoperability via the intrinsic routing capability in the controller, and commoditization of switching functions by eliminating the need for any network hardware other than commodity layer 2 switches and off-the-shelf x86 servers. The framework provides automated networking through NVN applications that are network configuration and operational state ‘aware,’ and capable of adaptively monitoring and controlling underlying network services. This would enable enterprises to cap their purchases of proprietary routers and layer 3 switches and begin to migrate towards an agile software-based network infrastructure that relies only on commodity servers and inexpensive layer 2 switches.
The Netsocket Virtual Network (NVN) product suite consists of software for x86 virtual server platforms. Key components include:
- vFlowController — an SDN controller with intrinsic vRouter, vTunnel and vFirewall components.
- vNetCommander — a centralized management system for NVN that handles automated installation, provisioning and orchestration of the network.
- vNetOptimizer — a next generation virtualized version of Netsocket’s Cloud Experience Manager service assurance product, and will provide for real-time network service analytics, automation and optimization of the network.
Netsocket is natively targeting all of the popular hypervisors, including Microsoft Hyper-V. It is working on interoperability with OpenStack & Microsoft System Center.
Netsocket is releasing a free version of its Virtual Network suite, including the vFlowController, the vFlowSwitch, and the vNetCommander-BASIC application. vNetCommander-BASIC allows for the creation and management of fully functional small networks. Paid versions support large networks.
“The NVN portfolio is the culmination of Netsocket’s vision to provide application aware, rich network visibility and the virtualized network resources required to automatically anticipate, isolate and remediate problems in the network,” said John White, President and CEO of Netsocket. “The NVN portfolio provides customers with an SDN migration strategy that has practical use cases as well as enterprise-wide deployability”
NetSocket currently offers a Cloud Experience Manager (CEM) that provides insight into unified communications (UC) issues. The software goes beyond monitoring to include IP network information correlation. It automatically correlates session, content and topology data in real time, without probes, enabling managers to anticipate, isolate and remediate network problems.
- In April, Netsocket raised $9.2 million in Series B funding for expansion of it network assurance expertise into SDN. The funding round was led by new investor Venture Investors, with participation by existing investors Sevin Rosen Funds, Silver Creek Ventures and Trail Blazer Capital.
- Netsocket was founded in 2007. Its team includes key players from Chiaro Networks, a Richardson, Texas-based start-up that developed a high-capacity core router for the service provider market.
- Netsocket is headed by John White, who previously held executive positions at IBM and AT&T/Avaya.
