While the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) is adding members and is working on a wide range of technologies to support software defined networking (SDN), the OpenDaylight Foundation, yet another project overseen by the Linux Foundation, has released the sixth iteration of its open source SDN controller.
The revision, named Carbon, improves support for Metro Ethernet and for cable networks, as well as internet of things (IoT) deployments, OpenDaylight said. The previous revision, Boron, was released last September.
Carbon advances the platform's scalability and robustness with new capabilities supporting multisite deployments for geographic reach, application performance and fault tolerance, the organization said. The southbound protocols OpenFlow and Netconf gained in scalability and features, as did various administrative utilities. The aim is to be able to scale from small, localized applications to vast IoT deployments.
Furthermore, OpenDaylight said, Carbon streamlines service function chaining by providing an integrated framework for network functions virtualization management, which represents an expansion beyond strict SDN management into NFV management. Much of Carbon's integration work and new capabilities were showcased as part of a proposed "Nirvana Stack," presented in Boston last month.
Carbon also supports a series of PCMM specs and other capabilities required by cable operators. It also improves operators' ability to enable software applications and service orchestrators to configure and provision connectivity services in physical and virtual network elements—in particular, Carrier Ethernet services as defined by MEF Forum.
These toolchains are being incorporated as core components of higher-level open source frameworks, such as ONAP, OPNFV and OpenStack, as well as real-world implementations of designs from standards bodies such as MEF, according to the organization. These new combined stacks are increasingly enabling innovators to explore new use cases such as IoT.
Some of the companies using OpenDaylight or customized versions of it include China Mobile, CenturyLink and Tencent.
"OpenDaylight-based networks are delivering business and consumer services to more than 1 billion subscribers around the globe today, as well as a growing number of users in the enterprise space," said Phil Robb, executive director of OpenDaylight at The Linux Foundation. "Carbon delivers a deeper level of platform maturity, while solidifying the toolchains for leading use cases in private and hybrid cloud as well as the carrier market."