Companies say the goal of new partnership is to better support data center networking, data replication, and emerging storage architectures connected via IP and fiber-optic network backbones.
Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and HP have announced an alliance that will pair the former's optical transport systems and routers with the latter's new Distributed Cloud Networking (DCN) offering. The companies say the goal of the new partnership is to better support data center networking, data replication, and emerging storage architectures connected via IP and fiber-optic network backbones.
The validated Alcatel-Lucent and HP combination offering will enable secure and synchronous data replication between data centers over long distances at rates not previously possible via standard storage fabric switching, Alcatel-Lucent says. The collaboration will use Alcatel-Lucent's 7750 Service Router and 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) as foundational elements. In the latter instance, Alcatel-Lucent says it has worked with HP to tightly integrate the packet-optical transport platform into the HP environment. When combined with the HP 3PAR Remote Copy software, for example, the 1830 PSS can support synchronous replication over fiber up to 130 km with encryption.
The combined resources will enable HP to offer its DCN customers automatic creation of data center network services and policies. The DCN virtualization platform aims to meet the needs of service providers and very large enterprises who wish to automatically deploy secure cloud-based software-defined networks (SDNs) across distributed and disparate data center configurations. DCN leverages the Virtualized Services Platform (VSP) from Alcatel-Lucent's Nuage Networks SDN venture.
The combined offering is available pre-tested and integrated as part of the HP Complete Program in the Americas and EMEA.