Open source startup targeting DevOps-defined networking

A software startup debuted this week proposing software-defined networking to Docker, the open source software for creating Linux application virtualization containers.

A software startup debuted this week proposing software-defined networking to Docker, the open source software for creating Linux application virtualization containers.

SocketPlane was founded by former Cisco, Red Hat, HP, OpenDaylight and Dell officials. In the open source world, their names are well known: Madhu Venugopal, John Willis, Brent Salisbury and Dave Tucker.

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The team is looking to bring enterprise-grade networking to the Docker ecosystem by developing a native networking stack called SocketPlane -- for Docker software. The SocketPlane software will be designed to address the performance, availability and scale requirements of networking in large, container-based cloud deployments.

The software will employ a DevOps model and tools to enable scale, programmable agility, and policy-driven automation, SocketPlane officials say. It will also provide network virtualization to mask network configuration complexity, they say.

The SocketPlane team calls their strategy DevOps-defined networking. No other vendor offering SDN products has adopted this model, company officials claim, but Google, Facebook and Twitter have done so internally.

The SocketPlane software will be available early next year.

SocketPlane is funded by LightSpeed Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that has also funded Blue Nile, Brocade, Ciena, DoubleClick, Fusionio, Nest Labs, Nicira, Nimble Storage and SnapChat.

SocketPlane's headquarters will be in Santa Clara, Calif. Currently, the company employs its four founders.

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Open source startup targeting DevOps-defined networking