Juniper Networks has announced the availability of Juniper Networks Contrail, a standards-based and highly scalable network virtualization and intelligence solution for software-defined networks (SDN). Contrail is a production-ready SDN solution shipping today that is based on stable and proven networking standards. Contrail creates a virtual network, enabling seamless integration between physical and virtual networks while providing service providers and enterprises with a solution that is simple, open and agile. This network virtualization and intelligence solution has been in trials with more than 40 global customers. Juniper Networks is also unveiling new technology development partnerships and product integrations with Contrail that will help customers pragmatically and confidently evolve to SDN.
Enterprises are looking for more efficient ways to build private, public and hybrid clouds to increase application deployment agility. However, traditional networking has not kept pace and can still be manual, static and complex. Contrail virtualizes the network, brings advanced networking capabilities into the hypervisor and integrates with cloud orchestration systems, to enable seamless automation and orchestration across multiple cloud platforms. The solution also offers a robust analytics engine, providing a real-time view into network operations. Network and cloud service providers are under tremendous pressure to develop, deploy and monetize new services, but most services are difficult to reconfigure or adapt to changing user demands. Contrail empowers these customers to quickly bring new services to market by providing a smooth transition with automatic provisioning and dynamic service chaining in cloud environments that run on x86-based servers. The commercial version of Contrail is available today through Juniper Software Advantage and is offered as both a perpetual and subscription software license. Perpetual license is priced at US$1,700 per socket and one year subscription license at US$1,000 per socket.
Juniper Networks Contrail, formerly known as JunosV Contrail, the network virtualization and intelligence solution is comprised of all the components needed to create a virtual overlay network: SDN controller, vRouter, and analytics engine. It is a simple way to connect physical networks with a virtual environment and provision underlying services, reducing the time, cost and risk for customers when configuring the network.
Juniper Contrail can be seamlessly integrated with Juniper Networks flagship virtual firewall, Firefly Perimeter, which is the first of many Juniper SDN-enabled security services that provides unparalleled performance, scale and coverage across virtualized data centers. With this integration customers benefit from simplified orchestration, provisioning and management of service-chained virtual and physical security services. It eliminates the risk of vendor-lock-in for customers by leveraging a standards-based architecture that integrates with a wide variety of hypervisors, physical networks and cloud orchestration platforms including compatibility with both CloudStack and OpenStack platforms.
It also seamlessly integrates with most industry switches and routers today including the Juniper Networks MX, EX and QFX Series, providing customers with a quick and easy migration path to SDN without any disruption to underlying physical network architecture and investment. Contrail accelerates the connection of virtual resources and enables the federation of private, public or hybrid cloud environments, increasing the speed of business and service innovation for customers by making the network more dynamic, flexible and automated.The network also provides fast troubleshooting and diagnostics through unique analytics capability, enabling customers to manage their networks more intelligently and efficiently.
Juniper also announced technology partnerships that enable the development of solutions through integration with Contrail to facilitate SDN and cloud deployment, enable dynamic service chaining and improve visibility and insights into network operations. New partners include Cedexis, CheckPoint, Citrix, Cloudscaling, Dorado Software, Flash Networks, Gencore Systems, Gigamon, Guavus, ISC8, Lumeta, Mirantis, Red Hat, RiverBed, Sandvine, SevOne, Silver Peak, Sonus Networks, and Websense.
Juniper announced a new partnership with IBM that integrates Contrail with IBM’s SmartCloud Orchestrator. The resulting joint technology solution allows customers to deploy and manage highly scalable cloud infrastructures with the ability to provision services rapidly across virtualized compute, storage and network resources to increase business agility.
In a related announcement, Juniper Networks introduced OpenContrail, an open source software platform that makes the core software powering Contrail available through an open source license. Customers will benefit from the innovation driven through OpenContrail’s open source community, while at the same time giving them the confidence that comes with a product that has undergone Juniper Networks rigorous quality assurance testing.