Extreme Networks expand possibilities of Fabric Automation

Extreme Networks expand possibilities of Fabric Automation

Extreme Networks have expanded Extreme Fabric Automation software with a new set of possibilities. Extreme Fabric Automation is part of Extreme Data Center Fabric, which aims to reduce human errors by automating tasks.

With Extreme Fabric automation it is possible to automate the validation, testing and deployment of data centre fabric networks. At the same time, the solution must offer network reliability and resilience.

With the update, the solution now gets simplified automation and cloud speed installation, Extreme Networks states in a press release. There are now plug-and-play fabrics with on-switch automation, which streamline configurations and simplify network operations with day-zero infrastructure installation and day-one tenant/services installation.

The update makes it possible for IT teams to implement a fabric within seconds of connecting the cabling and switching on switches.

More flexible installation

In addition, more flexibility has been created for the installation. Extreme Fabric Automation can be hosted on the guest VM of the new SLX 9160 leaf switch or the SLX 9250 spine switch, but also on an external VM. There are also implementation possibilities for on-premise environments and the private cloud.

After installation, Extreme Fabric Automation integrates with orchestration software like OpenStack, Microsoft SCVMM and VMware vCenter. A noteworthy integration is a separate microservice, which makes use of the application’s fabric awareness. More integrations should appear in the future.

IT teams can now also scale up and down networks to meet the changing demands of a company. A complete fabric network is also quick to install, allowing the teams to focus on other projects. Finally, the solution should reduce the cost of network management.

Security Update

We mentioned the new SLX 9150 leaf switch and SLX 9250 spine switch. These switches are newly unveiled, and comply with high security levels. Both switches are, for example, TAA-compliant and support FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria (CC), USGv6 and DoDIN APL.

The new switches are built on Broadcom’s Trident 3 switch ASICs. This means that the switches have the same telemetry capabilities as enterprise-level hyperscale cloud providers.