IXLeeds Selects Cumulus Networks Linux Operating System for Internet Exchange Point

Posted by cal on Apr 1, 2014 8:31 AM EDT
MulticoreZone; By Chris Lanfear
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Cumulus Networks has announced that IXLeeds has chosen the Cumulus Linux operating system for the company’s upgraded Internet Exchange Point. IXLeeds is a not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point (IXP) based in Leeds, UK.

Cumulus Networks has announced that IXLeeds has chosen the Cumulus Linux operating system for the company’s upgraded Internet Exchange Point. IXLeeds is a not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point (IXP) based in Leeds, UK. A bid process that included Extreme Networks and Juniper Networks preceded the deployment of Cumulus.

The evaluation process began in 2013 when IXLeeds’ existing Brocade BigIron RX-8 system, could no longer meet their requirements. The Brocade BigIron RX-8 was installed at the creation of IXLeeds. After a review of the system, which uncovered a lack of support combined with a lack of automation tools and high levels of power consumption, the IXLeeds team decided to upgrade the Internet Exchange Point.

Cumulus Networks’ solution features multicore-based 1G Quanta and 10G Edge-Core Ethernet switches both of which are provided by R-Com (www.r-comconsulting.com) and Hammer plc (http://www.hammerplc.com). The company said that Cumulus Networks’ disaggregated model allows for the optimal selection of hardware and software at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional networking options providing an advantage.

In addition, by selecting Cumulus Linux, a Linux operating system for networking hardware, the company can now run the Linux applications and automation tools, which should deliver increased agility, scalability and flexibility to the network.

Thomas Mangin, IXLeeds Technical Director commented: “Cumulus Networks was able to develop and deliver a solution that exceeded our expectations. Their strong involvement during the tendering and design stage has been invaluable. Their team has been unparalleled in terms of responsiveness and expertise. We were able to select a hardware combination that fits with our current and planned requirements. The open nature of the product will allow us to use a variety of tools to gain automation at the exchange itself. Incredibly, the solution not only surpassed all requirements but also came under budget.”

Reza Malekzadeh, Vice President of Business, Cumulus Networks added: “We’re delighted with the success of the solution we have been able to offer IXLeeds. It is a fantastic example of how the Linux networking model is being embraced by companies across the globe. The open approach we take means customers get the right degrees of freedom, transparency and choice when selecting networks. We are seeing tremendous demand for this type of offering, as illustrated by recent announcements with Dell and Hammer, and we look forward to continued success.”

IXLeeds launched in September 2010 allowing public peering in the north of the United Kingdom. It aims to help its members, such as Akamai, to increase their network resilience and reduce overall traffic backhaul costs towards London.

Founded by veteran networking engineers from Cisco and VMware, Cumulus Networks makes a Linux operating system for networking hardware in the datacenter. Cumulus Networks has received venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Peter Wagner and four of the original VMware founders.

Cumulus Networks is a contributing member of the Open Compute Project, an open source hardware and software project whose members also include Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Baidu, Fidelity and Microsoft.

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