Matisse Networks Announces vMETRO for Virtualization of Metro Networks

Matisse EtherBurst First to Extend Virtualization Between Datacenters

Las Vegas, Nevada, Interop Booth #1967, April 29, 2008—Matisse Networks is today introducing virtualization of metropolitan optical networks with a suite of new features collectively known as vMETRO(TM).

vMETRO is a collection of capabilities purpose-built to enable the virtualization of IT resources across distributed datacenters and campus networks. For the first time, vMETRO allows enterprises to cost-effectively implement metro-wide application agility to scale business-critical IT infrastructure beyond the physical power, space, and cooling limitations of a single site, enabling:

• Metro-wide datacenter capacity pooling
• Improved IT resource utilization
• Scalable metro network infrastructure

“We are on the brink of advancing from the current era of virtualizing individual servers to true datacenter automation,” said Mark Bowker, Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “Next generation virtualization capabilities that dynamically provision resources such as storage logical unit numbers (LUN) over distributed arrays or migrate live compute instances between buildings with tools like VMware’s VMotion become possible when an enterprise has a high-capacity, low-latency interconnect such as Matisse Network’s EtherBurst.”

EtherBurst(TM) is the first system fully integrating Ethernet and optical technologies. EtherBurst offers the operational simplicity and universal interoperability associated with Ethernet while providing the bandwidth and scalability of wave division multiplexing (WDM) optics. The new vMETRO capabilities make EtherBurst ideally suited to help enterprises grow their metro networks to interconnect distributed datacenters and campus local area networks (LAN).

“Server and storage virtualization have improved resource utilization and simplified data center management while increasing responsiveness,” said Michael Kennedy, President, Network Strategy Partners. “Circuit WDM systems, however, have been a barrier to extending the benefits of virtualization across the metro optical network. Matisse’s vMETRO enables virtualization of both Ethernet switching and optical transponders so that servers, storage and bandwidth resources may be efficiently shared across the metro area.”

vMETRO Components

vMETRO includes a number of distinct components, each available exclusively from Matisse:

• Virtualized Metro Switching (vmSwitchingTM)
  Matisse’s vmSwitching capability, now integrated into EtherBurst, makes it possible for an entire network of EtherBurst systems to operate as a single distributed Layer 2 Ethernet switch. High bandwidth and low-latency switching ensures the highest levels of application performance, even if server and storage resources are physically located in different datacenters.
  
  Since vmSwitching makes the metro network of EtherBurst nodes manageable as a single entity, the entire metro network now becomes as easy to manage as any Ethernet switch within the datacenter. IT personnel can use existing LAN management tools to configure and operate a metro-wide virtual network as used today to manage a virtualized network within a single datacenter.
  
  Unlike circuit WDM systems which require specialized optical engineering expertise to design, deploy, and maintain the Layer 1 network, EtherBurst is managed and configured easily by anyone familiar with configuring Layer 2 Ethernet switches and standard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
  
  
• Optical VLANs
  Optical VLANs control the logical grouping of virtualized IT resources throughout a metro region. Now applications, servers and storage devices from any number of sites can all be interconnected simultaneously to enable resource grouping and virtualization spanning multiple datacenters.
  
  Conventional circuit based WDM systems only provide point-to-point circuit connectivity and require the ongoing management of a separate Layer 1 network. In contrast, optical VLANs are managed using standard VLAN management interfaces, enabling end-to-end Layer 2 networking of distributed resources.
  
  
• Metro-Wide Quality of Service (mQOSTM)
  Matisse’s mQOS delivers dynamic bandwidth reallocation, shifting bandwidth in real-time between applications and between sites while ensuring higher priority applications receive all resources necessary for optimal operation. EtherBurst dynamically responds to changing traffic patterns to deliver bandwidth to the highest priority users and applications anywhere across the metro optical network.

“vMETRO now makes it possible to interconnect distributed resources as if they were all within a single facility,” said Timon Sloane, VP of Marketing for Matisse Networks. “Any combination of applications, servers and storage subsystems that can be networked together within a single datacenter can now be interconnected with the same ease and performance across a metro region using the Matisse EtherBurst distributed switch.”

Live vMETRO Demonstration at Interop
The first live public demonstration of an operational EtherBurst distributed switch with vMETRO capabilities will be held during the Interop 2008 show in booth #1967 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, April 29 through May 1, 2008.

Availability
The vMETRO suite of features is included in Matisse Networks’ EtherBurst 2.0 software release available immediately.

About Matisse Networks
Matisse Networks is named after Henri Matisse, the famous painter known as the “Master of Color.” Like the painter, Matisse Networks is mastering the colors of light to pioneer the field of optical burst technology. Matisse Networks’ EtherBurst Packet WDM System is purpose-built for carrier and enterprise metro Ethernet optical transport networks, saving 50% of capital and operational expenses compared with legacy optical circuit systems. EtherBurst maximizes utilization of optical bandwidth and increases packet service flexibility at the lowest total cost of ownership.

Matisse Networks, EtherBurst, mQOS, vMETRO and vmSwitching are trademarks of Matisse Networks, Inc. VMware and VMotion are trademarks VMware, Inc.