Switch and router maker Juniper Networks follows the likes of Oracle and VMware and buys into software-defined networking, snapping up startup Contrail Systems reportedly for $176 million. 

The Contrail acquisition is interesting, since not much is known about its actual product. Founded in early 2012, Contrail ranks include networking and software platform experts from Google, Juniper, Cisco and Aruba Networks, with expertise lying in Layer 3 virtual private networking and multiprotocol label switching (MPLS). 

Back in July 2012 the $1.26 billion Read more...

Converged networking and storage specialist Emulex pays $130 million in cash for New Zealand-based network infrastructure visibility product developer Endance. 

Founded in 2011, Endance sells the Endance Network Recorders-- hardware-based packet capture systems able to capture, index and record 100% of network traffic with throughput scaling from 1 to 100Gbps. It also offers the EndanceVision application allowing customers to retreive, search or visualise network traffic from any Endance Recorder anywher within a network. 

All Endance products run Read more...

Oracle acquires virtual networking company Xsigo Systems for an undisclosed sum as it appears to follow the data centre and network virtualisation trend seen in VMware's recent big purchase, Nicira. 

Xsigo makes "Data Centre Fabric" (DCF)-- software virtualising network cards and connections in order to reduce the amount of physical hardware and cabling needed to run a virtual machine network. By managing network activity, it "tricks" hypervisors into acting as if the physical server has more physical network cards and switches than it actually Read more...

Raritan launches the PX-2000 series, describing it as the industry's largest intelligent intelligent rack power distribution unit (iPDU) family. 

With built-in intelligence, the racks provide real-time data center energy and load monitoring-- while additional plug-in sensors (optional) can also povide information on environmental conditions. 

The PX-2000 outlet-switched rack iPDU measures energy usage at PDU level and provides outlet-level switching, allowing remote IT equiment shutting down and turning on. 

Data the PX-2000 iPDU gathers includes Read more...