Xilinx Korea (Country Manager Ahn Heung-sik) April 1, 2014 – Xilinx announced the industry's first solution for Softly networks at Interop Las Vegas. This solution can extend programmable capabilities and intelligence from the control to the data domain. Programmable data domain capabilities are enabled by a new software-defined specification environment for networking (SDNet) and functional specifications that are automatically compiled to Xilinx's all-programmable FPGAs and SoCs.

While existing SDN architectures adopt data plane hardware with a fixed control plane and narrow southbound API connections, Softree Network is based on a programmable data plane with content information and wide southbound API control plane connections. This network enables the following multiple disruptive capabilities.

Unlike existing SDN architectures, the new Softly Defined Network (SDN) is based on programmable data plane hardware featuring content intelligence and rich control plane APIs. It supports wire-speed services independent of protocol complexity and provides flexible services per flow. It also supports innovative “hitless” upgrades that operate at 100% line rates and allow for upgrades during service.

With these unique capabilities, telecommunications companies and MSOs can proactively provide differentiated services without disrupting existing services, hardware requalification, or truck roll. This enables service providers to achieve greater revenue potential and unprecedented CapEx and OpEx, while shortening time-to-market. Network equipment providers can also enjoy similar benefits through the feature-rich and flexible Softree network platform, and extensive differentiation is possible through the deployment of content-based data domain hardware programmed for the SDNet environment.

Additional benefits of Softree network solutions, enabled by SDNet and Xilinx® All Programmable FPGAs and SoCs, include highly flexible enhanced Quality of Service (QoS), flow and session-aware performance, fully programmable hardware data plane and I/O, NFV support at wire speeds including user-defined and customized performance, and line rates scalable from 1G to 400G.

Nick McKeown, a computer science professor at Stanford University, said, “With Phase 1 of SDN, data centers and WAN operators have been able to customize and improve their networks in software. “In the next stage, we can expect a drive that goes beyond fixed-function data domain hardware. Adding high-level programming and more sophisticated functionality to the data domain and accessing it via standard software APIs means that networking resources are managed more intelligently and efficiently, accelerating the pace of innovation,” he said.

Loring Wirbel, Senior Analyst at The Linley Group, stated, “Xilinx’s introduction of a software-defined specification environment to create and modify network components derived from high-level technology means more than just OpenFlow protocol-compatible SDN.” He added, “Critical characteristics of control and data plane processing can be defined at the point when network loads are established. This type of tool enables system designers to direct and deploy precise application services without knowing the underlying device architecture or complex programming languages, a capability that no product manufacturer, OEM, or SDN software expert has been able to provide to date.”

Hemant Dhulla, Vice President of Communications at Xilinx, stated, “Xilinx is expanding the possibilities of next-generation smart networks and data centers by incorporating new software-based design technologies into all-programmable silicon devices,” adding, “The flexibility of Xilinx’s all-programmable devices, combined with the innovative flexibility, functionality, and productivity provided by SDNet, has enabled the industry’s first softly data domain solution software for networks.”

A demo of the SDNet solution can be viewed at Interop's Xilinx booth #2066 and at official Xilinx distributors.