According to Gartner EMEA Q2 2014 server shipments show growth for the first time in 11 quarters-- specifically by 0.8% Y-o-Y. Revenues are also up by (by 3.8% Y-o-Y) following 10 consecutive quarters of decline.

Shipments for the quarter total 554813 units, while revenues reach $3.2 billion.

“Q2 2014 marks a key milestone in the server market for many vendors, as both shipments and revenue grew for the first time since this period in 2011,” the analyst says. “Despite the steady improvement in the server market, these positive results highlight the end of a slump, rather than a return to growth. Server providers must continue to ensure that a focus on growth remains a top priority.”

Cumulus Networks joins Dell and VMware to put VMware NSX network virtualisation platform with Cumulus Linux on Dell Networking switches, as well as a midmarket NSX-powered Dell converged infrastructure solution.

According to the three companies the combination of NSX, Cumulus Linux and Dell switches forms a combined SDN-defined data centre solution allowing customers to "achieve holistic management and provisioning of the complete data center networking environment, physical and virtual, and accelerate deployment of new applications while simplifying IT operations."

On the other hand the midmarket solution has NSX running on top of Dell servers, networking and storage infrastructure-- specifically the PowerEdge M1000e server blade chassis, 10/10GbE MXL blade switch, S4810 Top of Rack switch, S6000 fabric switches and iSCSI arrays.

According to IDC the global software-defined networking (SDN) market for the enterprise and cloud service provider segments will grow from $960 million in 2014 to over $8 billion in 2018 with a CAGR of 89.4%.

The SDN ecosystem the forecast covers includes in-use physical network infrastructure, controller and network-virtualisation software, SN network and security services, and SDN-related professional services.

SDN use cases include web scaling for hosting/public cloud providers, private/hybrid cloud deployments, network programmability and customisation, and security applications.

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group completes the USB Type-C specification, meaning the next generation of USB connector is all but ready to enter production following transfer to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).

USB Type-C is a modified version of the 10 Gbps USB 3.1 standard, with a slimmer connector promising to be robust enough for laptop and tablet use while being slim enough for smartphones.

The connector is reversible, bringing an end to mis-plugging issues, while USB Power Delivery support allows it to carry up to 100W, enough to power a laptop.

The one catch-- or advantage, depending on how one sees it-- with USB Type-C? It is not compatible with the current USB standard, demanding a need for convertors (as defined in the specification).