Networking

High-performance network software maker Arista Networks today unveiled what it describes as next-generation cloud-grade routing. The logic behind this is that routing needs to evolve to meet the demands of the cloud. The concept is certainly sound because networks now do much more than simply connect branch offices to a company data center. Historically, companies have thought of networks as discrete entities: mobile, carrier, and business networks. But most cloud apps traverse all three, so experience and security depend on interoperability between the domains.Arista introduced the concept of cloud-grade routing a little over half a decade ago with the idea of having a single software stack with a set of routing capabilities that could meet the needs of enterprises, service providers, and cloud operators. This week it introduced several net solutions, capabilities, and platforms to evolve that cloud-grade routing. Arista introduces TunnelSec to simplify encryption One of the new capabilities Arista has introduced is called TunnelSec which simplifies the use of different encryption technologies. As an example, it’s common for companies to deploy overlay networks to use both IPsec and MACsec encryption. TunnelSec encryption eliminates the need for external encryption traditionally used in networking. It does this by securing data-in-transit and provides in-line encryption at data rates ranging from 10G to 400G in Arista’s R3 Series routing platforms. As a result, TunnelSec removes the performance bottlenecks associated with legacy encryption deployments. With a single network platform, companies can deploy MACsec, IPsec and VXLANsec encryption. This delivers better network economics but also improves performance and network throughput. “We’re seeing a trend where there is demand for encryption. In fact, we have customers who have asked us to do encryption in the data center itself, starting right from the top-of-rack switch,” said Jeff Raymond, vice president of Extensible Operating System (EOS) product management and services at Arista. “We’ve extended that concept, where customers can have encryption end-to-end.”TunnelSec now comes embedded in Arista’s cloud-grade routing platforms. All of Arista’s products are powered by EOS and Network Data Lake (NetDL), which provides a single software base for switching, routing, telemetry, and a common set of data across all Arista platforms. The single OS and data lake are Arista’s secret sauce. More and more network operations require AI-driven insights to optimize performance and secure the network. One set of data and its OS enable Arista to analyze information much faster than if it had to aggregate silos of information. Arista’s reach has expanded past cloud titans By innovating in this space, Arista was able to cross the chasm from the data center to modern routing. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor has a sizable base of customers that have successfully deployed its cloud-grade routing. The list includes cloud giants (Microsoft, Meta), specialty cloud providers (Netflix, CDLAN, Zenlayer), service providers (Comcast, Arelion, Vocus), and internet exchanges (Netnod, Equinix, Seattle Internet Exchange). Vocus, for example, has refreshed its entire backbone and edge by tapping Arista across its 200 sites. New edge capabilities introduced In addition to TunnelSec, Arista revealed a secure enterprise edge capability, which combines the data center and data center interconnect (DCI) domains. Traditionally, the technology has been used to connect two or more data centers together. Arista is bringing in a gateway functionality that allows customers to simplify their multi-cloud deployments.The last capability Arista launched is encryption and timing, designed for compact modular routing. A key aspect of the current 5G network buildout is timing. It requires highly accurate timing enabled by segment routing in order to develop the infrastructure for smart cities, autonomous vehicle connectivity, and other use cases. Arista’s new capability provides modular routing with precision timing and encrypts the traffic.Arista rolls out Jericho 2C+ hardware platforms Parallel with this announcement, Arista has expanded its R3 Series portfolio by adding 26 new products based on the Broadcom Jericho 2C+ silicon. The portfolio now includes the new R3A Series with integrated TunnelSec; 800G-ready 7800R3 with 12- and 16-slot modular systems; 7280R3A compact modular for metro, mobile, and DCI apps; and the 7280R3A Series with a 50 percent performance increase.”The products are an extension of our existing R3 family. Within the 26 products, we have some fixed systems and new modular systems as well,” said Raymond. “We’ve been able to not just integrate the scale we need for routing but also build encryption directly into all of these products.”The expanded features/products are available now in the latest EOS release. According to Raymond, customers can choose from three “flavors,” depending on their needs. The base model is focused on the data center. The middle-scale model provides encryption with a level of scalability. Lastly, the full-scale model offers both routing and encryption.Arista, once thought of as a network vendor that only served the needs of cloud titans, has come a long way in the past half-decade. It now has solutions for companies of all sizes, including mid-market enterprises. This release expands its move into routing with the aim of helping businesses shift to a cloud-first organization. More

Credit: Microsoft Two years ago, Microsoft launched its Azure Space initiative, focused on making Azure a strong player in the space- and satellite-connectivity cloud market. On September 14, timed with World Satellite Business Week, Microsoft officials are outlining how they plan to expand the company’s portfolio of satellite connectivity. Officials said today that a new […] More

ArtemisDiana/Getty Networking that carries all of our video streams, social communications, e-commerce, and personal data has become more complicated than 10 years of tangled kudzu vine for administrators to install and maintain. Between wide-area networks, hybrid clouds, network edge, telcos, cable providers, and satellites, this is fast becoming a genuine concern for enterprise IT decision-makers. […] More

The interest in private 4G/5G connectivity is at an all-time high. Almost every IT leader I talk to about the future of their business network has it on the roadmap. Private 4G or 5G refers to a mobile cellular network that is technically the same as a public 4G/5G network but which allows the owner to provide priority access or licensing for its wireless spectrum. Cellular is much more reliable than WiFi at this point because it’s always on, plus there aren’t all that many 5G devices in use yet. Finally, many operational technology devices – such as beacons and sensors – do not require high bandwidth but certainly need always-on connectivity.Recently I conducted a CIO workshop with about 30 IT leaders and asked about their interest in private cellular, and all of them raised their hands. When I asked about barriers to entry, cost typically comes up at or near the top of the list because historically, deploying one’s own cellular network has been very expensive.The reason for the high cost is that previously the only way to deploy private cellular was to use the same equipment as the telco carriers. While this can work, it’s expensive, complex, and relative overkill because it’s designed for a much different use case. The other issue with carrier infrastructure is that the ongoing operations require a much different skill set than what most enterprise network professionals possess. Celona makes private 4G / 5G specifically for businesses Celona is a startup that designed a private cellular system for enterprises. The solution deploys and is managed similarly to WiFi. That solves the skills and operational issues, but there is still the question of cost. How does private 4G/5G compare to WiFi? Recently, a steel manufacturer based in Pennsylvania deployed Celona’s solution, performed a cost analysis, and compared it to a comparable WiFi solution and a cellular solution. The results were summarized in a whitepaper titled “Industrial Private Cellular Business Case.” The study was done and written by researcher MobileExperts. In the whitepaper, MobileExperts used the steel manufacturing plant as a reference point for the number of access points (APs) needed to cover 250,000 square feet of indoor space and 1,000,000 square feet of outdoor space. Based on estimated coverage areas per indoor and outdoor AP, the study found the steel manufacturer was able to deploy four to six times fewer indoor APs and five to six times fewer outdoor APs throughout the plant.CBRS systems require far fewer APs than Wi-Fi leading to cost savings Since Celona’s Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)-based 5G LAN solution operates at higher power levels, it requires fewer APs to cover large areas, compared to WiFi. According to the whitepaper, it would require 17 private cellular APs to cover the indoor space of the manufacturing plant, compared to 100 WiFi 6 APs. Outdoors, it would require 20 WiFi 6 APs and only four private cellular APs. Using three-year subscription list prices of Celona’s 5G LAN solution and a cloud-managed Wi-Fi 6 solution, the report calculated the total network cost of deployment to be approximately $430,000 for Celona and $580,000 for WiFi 6. Celona also examined the cost of alternative carrier-grade cellular solutions, which added up to a whopping $1,280,000 for a three-year subscription. The study found that the hardware and software network costs of Celona 5G LAN are similar to a WiFi 6 solution but installation costs are significantly lower due to fewer APs and associated cable pulls. Compared to the carrier-grade private cellular solutions, Celona’s is about four to five times cheaper. Cellular technology has a reliability advantage over Wi-Fi While this addresses the cost benefit, the other advantage of private cellular is that it is more reliable than WiFi. Almost all of us have experienced a situation where a WiFi device is working fine and then simply stops because of congestion, range, or some other issue. That does not happen with 4G/5G, because the technology was designed with reliability in mind. The study did paint a compelling picture for private cellular, but I want to be clear: I’m not advocating doing a wholesale replacement of WiFi for cellular. This made sense for the manufacturing organization, but that’s a much different use case than a traditional carpeted office. The steel manufacturer has special equipment and processes that depend on all connected equipment being available all the time. Any interruption in service means a disruption to the manufacturing process, which directly leads to lost dollars. A typical knowledge worker that’s connected with WiFi does not need the same level of 100% connectedness. If their Zoom call happens to go down, a user can reconnect and continue on. They might be a bit more annoyed, but WiFi meets the requirements. Also, it would be impractical for any business to replace all of its laptops, printers, and other WiFi devices with 4G/5G ones.Cellular and WiFi are complementary technologies The study did show that the cost of private cellular is much lower than the general perception of the industry. I’m advising my customers to put private 4G/5G on the roadmap, and as more mission-critical systems get connected, use it for that. For example, businesses that are deploying IP surveillance cameras should connect them over cellular instead of WiFi to ensure continuous recordings. Some campuses are deploying autonomous vehicles for food services, cleaning robots, or moving people between locations. It’s important to understand that 4G/5G doesn’t replace WiFi but instead complements it. The good news for IT pros is, as the MobileExperts study shows, the cost of implementing private cellular isn’t going to break the bank and, thanks to companies like Celona, there are solutions designed for enterprises to ease the operational burden. More

Image: iStock/SasinParaksa Increasingly, organizations are collecting data and processing it in a distributed fashion — think of the growing use of warehouse robotics, or the growing number of intelligent features in cars.  To handle all of this dispersed data, companies need to leverage edge services — data management and processing that happens at the “edge,” […] More

Image: Sundry Photography/Shutterstock SpaceX and US mobile carrier T-Mobile have teased an announcement, to be shared today, that they claim will “increase connectivity”.  The two companies, along with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, announced the surprise event via their respective Twitter accounts. It will be held at 7:00pm CT today at SpaceX’s Starbase spaceport in Texas […] More

Sling TV has an a la carte approach to channels that separates it from its competitors. Sling TV offers two basic packages: Blue, with 43 channels for $35, and Orange, with 32 channels for $35. You can get them both as a package deal for $50, and you can add small packages of other channels, called Sling Extras, for small additional fees.For NFL fans this is a mixed blessing. I like it because it lets me get the channels I want, but it’s also a tad confusing. Some channels are available on both Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Orange is basically an ESPN/Disney package, while Blue offers a Fox/NBC package. Blue also includes The NFL Network. Your best deal, if you want a broad selection of channels, is to subscribe to the combo for $50.Sling TV’s Extra packages, besides such common offerings as Showtime channels, cost from $6 monthly. For pro ball fans, the $11 Sports Extra comes with 15 channels, including NFL RedZone. What you won’t get, though, is your local CBS affiliate. For that, Sling TV urges you to use an over-the-air antenna. Sling TV offers its own streaming device, the $99.99 AirTV 2 More

HyperTrack, which provides standard logistics application programming interfaces (APIs) for enterprise last-mile delivery and fulfillment operations, today released a new developer platform called BuilderX, which enables developers to create customized logistics technology for on-demand use cases.The Berkeley, Calif.-based company also announced it has raised $25 million in Series A funding led by WestBridge Capital and existing investor Nexus Venture Partners to support company growth and expand global engineering teams.Globally, analysts believe that the logistics market represents a whopping 12% of the world’s GDP. A huge trend in 2022 is the shift to on-demand fulfillment delivery logistics, with the gig workforce causing the automation technology required to skyrocket. In view of this trend, HyperTrack provides order planning, assignment, location tracking, and mapping infrastructure as simple APIs so product development teams can build functional last-mile logistics solutions in days with custom business logic and workflows. “Gig workers and the growing need for same-day delivery in the ‘here and now’ economy requires re-thinking of the logistics stack,” Kashyap Deorah, founder and CEO of HyperTrack, told ZDNet. “This funding will help fuel our mission in changing the way all industries deliver products and services.” What BuilderX doesAs the gig economy expands with increased demand for same-day deliveries, traditional logistics technologies can no longer accurately track the ground truth of order lifecycles, resulting in unsatisfied customers, inaccurate driver payments and delayed product development roadmaps, Deorah told ZDNet. “HyperTrack brings to market end-to-end order fulfillment APIs, giving developers the tools they need to quickly build solutions for scheduling as well as on-demand order planning, assignment, and tracking,” Deorah said. BuilderX includes software development kits (SDKs) and application programming interfaces (APIs) to plan, assign and track orders for last-mile logistics with custom business logic and workflows, Deorah said. Logistics tech builders no longer need to develop for months with a team of engineers to build out the consumer and driver apps for mobile, live location tracking, operations dashboard and cloud infrastructure, he said.  BuilderX enableshttps://hypertrack.com/self-improving-routeseach step of the order lifecycle, from order planning and assignment to the precise point of fulfillment. Capabilities include: Planning and assigning orders for efficient operations: Developers can build custom business logic and workflows for on-time delivery with higher capacity utilization and predictable per order cost.Tracking orders for on-time fulfillment: Includes live location tracking with driver and consumer apps and an operations dashboard for continuous real-time visibility.Learning and improving end-to-end order fulfillment lifecycle: Includes intelligence built on ground truth of logistics operations including addresses, service, and route times.Develop and deploy end-to-end order fulfillment lifecycle solution for last mile logistics in days without a team of mobile, maps, and cloud expertsBuilderX is available starting today on the HyperTrack website. More