So I was browsing some of the headlines of the companies I follow during lunch and came across this article (seems available on many outlets), which I thought was cool.
I’ve known VMware has been a very big happy user of Extreme Networks gear for a good long time now though I wasn’t aware of anything that was public about it, at least until today. It really makes me feel good that despite VMware’s partnerships with EMC and NetApp that include Cisco networking gear, at the end of the day they chose not to run Cisco for their own business.
But going beyond even that it makes me feel good that politics didn’t win out here, obviously the people running the network have a preference, and they were either able to fight, or didn’t have to fight to get what they wanted. Given VMware is a big company and given their big relationship with Cisco I would kind of think that Cisco would try to muscle their way in. Many times they can succeed depending on the management at the client company, but fortunately for the likes of VMware they did not.
SYDNEY, November 12. Extreme Networks, Inc., (Nasdaq: EXTR) today announced that VMware, the global leader in virtualisation and cloud infrastructure, has deployed its innovative enterprise, data centre and Metro Ethernet networking solutions.
VMware’s network features over 50,000 Ethernet ports that deliver connectivity to its engineering lab and supports the IT infrastructure team for its converged voice implementation.
Extreme Networks met VMware’s demanding requirements for highly resilient and scalable network connectivity. Today, VMware’s thousands of employees across multiple campuses are served by Extreme Networks’ leading Ethernet switching solutions featuring 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and Fast Ethernet, all powered by the ExtremeXOS® modular operating system.
[..]
“We required a robust, feature rich and energy efficient network to handle our data, virtualised applications and converged voice, and we achieved this through a trusted vendor like Extreme Networks, as they help it to achieve maximum availability so that we can drive continuous development,†said Drew Kramer, senior director of technical operations and R&D for VMware. “Working with Extreme Networks, from its high performance products to its knowledgeable and dedicated staff, has resulted in a world class infrastructure.â€
Nice to see technology win out for once instead of back room deals which often end up screwing the customer over in the long run.
Since I’m here I guess I should mention the release of the X460 series of switches which came out a week or two ago, intended to replace the now 4-year old X450 series(both “A” and “E”). Notable differences & improvements include:
- Dual hot swap internal power supplies
- User swappable fan tray
- Long distance stacking over 10GbE – up to 40 kilometers
- Clear-Flow now available when the switches are stacked (prior hardware switches could not be stacked to use Clear-Flow
- Stacking module is now optional (X450 it was built in)
- Standard license is Edge license (X450A was Advanced Edge) – still software upgradable all the way to Core license (BGP etc). My favorite protocol ESRP requires Advanced Edge and not Core licensing.
- Hardware support for IPFIX, which they say is complimentary to sFlow
- Lifetime hardware warranty with advanced hardware replacement (X450E had lifetime, X450A did not)
- Layer 3 Virtual Switching (yay!) – I first used this functionality on the Black Diamond 10808 back in 2005, it’s really neat.
The X460 seems to be aimed at the mid to upper range of GbE switches, with the X480 being the high end offering.