April 27, 2015, Seoul, Korea – Freescale Semiconductor (www.freescale.co.kr, CEO Yeonho Hwang) announced an innovative network service switching platform that combines the performance and efficiency of traditional network switches with the manageability, flexibility, and security required for the Software Defined Networking (SDN) era, to help enterprises, network operators, and OEM suppliers fully leverage the ever-expanding global virtual networks.

The new platform, developed in collaboration with Freescale and leading ODM Advantech and offered as a white-box solution, utilizes Freescale's 24-core server-grade QorIQ T4240 processor and VortiCa open network software. This platform leverages standards-based protocols such as OpenFlow and supports ease of management through open technologies like OpenStack and OpenDaylight. Furthermore, it enables superior network security for virtual environments by supporting the integration of high-performance packet processing capabilities such as firewalls, intrusion detection, and IPSEC over VxLAN.

Sam Fuller, Head of Strategy and Solutions at Freescale Digital Networking Group, said, "Recently, massive changes have taken place in global networks." “Large enterprises, network operators, and their equipment suppliers need a new generation of switching technology for this new era,” he said. “Freescale’s intelligent switching platform enables OEMs and customers to save power and costs by eliminating the need for additional appliances typically required for traditional switching implementations, while fully leveraging the value of SDN.”

According to Infonetics Research, a market research firm specializing in the telecommunications industry, the global market for software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) hardware and software for telecommunications operators is projected to grow from less than $500 million in 2013 to over $11 billion in 2018.

John Muller, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Advantech’s Network and Telecommunications Group, said, “The Freescale Network Services Switching Platform further expands Advantech’s switching product portfolio for equipment manufacturers, integrators, and service providers. By combining this platform with VortiQa open network switch software, enterprise IT and cloud service providers will be able to support the growing demand for new and innovative services by providing greater flexibility and efficiency to software-defined infrastructure.”

The Freescale platform combines Freescale QorIQ processors with standard switch ASIC devices to provide a flexible and compact solution with ultra-high performance. The new platform enhances the portability and agility required for more flexible networks through a Linux OS, ODP datapath API, VMM acceleration, and efficient programmable datapath implementation. In addition, this platform includes commercial-grade VortiQa SDN software that supports OpenFlow version 1.3 through VNF support and extensions for Layer 4 and higher protocols, as well as support for Layer 2/3 forwarding.

The high-performance QorIQ T4240 processor supports advanced features that help secure the future Internet, including a trusted ONIE secure boot mechanism, firewall, IPsec over VXLAN or alternative interconnect, and packet inspection and analysis capabilities.

Supply situation

The Freescale platform is available through Advantech as a commercial-grade product that can be customized to meet customer requirements across various deployment scenarios. Advantech will provide primary hardware and software support and services for the platform to facilitate customer design, reduce development cycles, and shorten time-to-market. The platform will ship to key customers in the second half of 2015, initially supporting IPSec VPN, policy-based routing, and L2 and L3 Ethernet switching; further information can be obtained by contacting ncg@advantech.com.

Freescale at Interop 2015

Freescale is demonstrating a new network service switching platform and other advanced technologies for the growing global virtual networks at booth 1127 of Interop 2015.