N11, the first member of the new product family, is designed to deliver 800G of optical capacity in one rack unit and will be powered by an open, Linux operating system to deliver the lowest cost per Gbps available in the industry
Petaluma, CA – February 11, 2015 – Cyan (NYSE: CYNI), a leading provider of SDN, NFV, and packet-optical solutions for network operators, today introduced the N-Series Open Hyperscale Transport Platform (OHTP), a new family of high-density, high-capacity transport products designed for cloud, content, and data center interconnect (DCI) networks. Leveraging best-in-breed commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) silicon and photonic components combined with an open, carrier-grade Linux network operating system, the N-Series family of products are being designed to enable the leading cloud, content, and data center operators to scale their interconnect networks to meet rapidly growing traffic demands more simply and cost-effectively.
“DCI is poised for tremendous growth, but the requirements are very different from the traditional telco environment. Cloud and content providers are focused on operational efficiency and simplicity and driving the lowest cost per Gbps, as we have seen played out in both the server market and the white box Ethernet switch space,” said Sterling Perrin, senior analyst, Heavy Reading. “With the new N-Series OHTP, Cyan is taking these concepts from the data center and applying them to data center interconnect. Heavy Reading sees the beginnings of a broad industry trend toward purpose-built products for DCI, and, with its combination of an open Linux network operating system and commercial off-the-shelf components, the N-Series is helping to define this new category.”
The first member of the N-Series family is the N11, an ultra-compact and power-efficient optical platform that is designed to deliver 800 Gbps of total line and client capacity in one rack unit (1RU), or up to 34 Tbps in a seven-foot rack. Designed as a modular shelf, the N11 will offer industry-leading 100G client port densities, the lowest power consumption per 100G, and selectable 200G coherent line interfaces. In addition, when paired with Cyan’s Z-Series 96-channel ROADM, the N-Series will be able to drive up to 19.2 Tbps on a single fiber. The N11 is focused on transponding and 100G client interfaces to meet cloud and content provider requirements for data center interconnect.
The N-Series’ modularity will allow for upgradeability to higher density and capacity, as well as additional transport functionality in the future. Unlike traditional optical transport solutions that are vertically integrated, the modular and COTS-based N-Series architecture will enable the platform to fully leverage advances in best-in-breed optical networking technologies and standards as they emerge to further increase performance and reduce costs.
“Cyan developed the N-Series based on specific conversations with cloud and content providers who are stuck today with closed, proprietary solutions that limit scale,” said Mike Hatfield, president, Cyan. “The N-Series is the first step in unlocking cloud and data center networks so that they can become the hyperscale programmable resources being demanded by our customers.”
Beyond the scalable and versatile hardware design, the N-Series will implement an open, SDN-optimized software architecture that includes a carrier-grade Linux network operating system (NOS) called Cyan Linux, providing a platform that can leverage Linux applications and facilitate rapid integration of third party applications. This approach will simplify operations for cloud and content providers by providing a consistent experience for configuring and managing both compute and network resources. The N-Series features will be further enhanced by Cyan’s Blue Planet SDN Platform, which simplifies network programmability, multi-vendor management, end-to-end service orchestration, and ongoing network operations. Cyan’s open architecture enables new levels of visibility, automation, and control in the operation of the network, while allowing customers to avoid costly and complex hardware dependencies. Open REST APIs on the N11 will also give customers the flexibility to use any SDN controller or internally developed tools and applications they want.
The Cyan N-Series N11 platform will provide unmatched performance, the lowest cost per Gbps in the industry, and efficiency and operational simplicity for cloud and content providers that require massive bandwidth across the metro cloud and between data centers.
“Cloud services, video, Big Data and social media are all contributing to a massive surge in data center and cloud traffic,” said Hatfield. “The N-Series’ COTS-based and modular architecture addresses this need and will significantly reduce the cost of high-capacity optical transport when compared to traditional approaches while eliminating the vendor lock-in and complexity typically associated with proprietary, vertically integrated solutions. The N-Series will further expand Cyan’s addressable market within the cloud and content space and will fully interoperate with our Z-Series packet-optical platforms, which are optimized for metro and regional services and transport.”
Benefits of the N-Series N11 will include:
- Open software architecture: Cyan Linux network operating system and open interfaces to simplify management and eliminate vendor lock-in. This open approach is designed to allow for new application development, rapid innovation, and the ability for “DevOps” teams to roll out custom features using familiar, standard Linux tools.
- Compact, high-capacity transport at the lowest cost per Gbps: “Rack & stack” design efficiently packs 800 Gbps of total bandwidth capacity (line and client) in 1RU to optimize space and power efficiency and deliver the lowest cost per Gbps.
- Modularity and industry-leading density: Interchangeable modules provide transponding for current high-density 100G networks, with future support for higher density and capacity, as well as additional transport functions.
The N11 is expected to be available for customer trials in Q2 and available for sale in early Q3 of 2015.
About Cyan
Cyan (NYSE: CYNI) enables network transformation. The company’s software-defined network (SDN) solutions deliver orchestration, agility, and scale to networks, that until now, have been static and hardware driven. Serving carriers, enterprises, governments, and data centers globally, Cyan’s open platforms provide multi-vendor, multi-layer control and visibility to network operators, making service delivery more efficient and profitable. Cyan solutions include the award-winning Blue Planet SDN software and N-Series hyperscale and Z-Series packet-optical hardware platforms. For more information, please visit www.cyaninc.com or follow Cyan on Twitter at twitter.com/CyanNews.
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