HP Further Embraces SDN with Developer Kit, App Store

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) is pushing full-throttle into the software-defined networking (SDN) market, offering up an SDN Developer Kit and SDN App store, designed to support its OpenFlow-based SDN technologies and giving developers the means to design and build a comprehensive SDN infrastructure.

The SDN Developer Kit provides tools to create, test and validate SDN applications, leveraging HP’s OpenFlow infrastructure and support services, according to the company. It is available to HP’s AllianceOne partners and independent software developers, enabling them to build apps to sell in the SDN App Store.

Customers can browse the SDN App Store and purchase apps to meet their networking needs, and the apps can be downloaded directly to the customer’s Virtual Application Networks SDN controller to create an infrastructure tailored to their individual needs.

HP’s Bethany Mayer, senior vice president and general manager of Networking, summed it up thusly: “With SDN the networking industry has an opportunity to disruptively innovate and is now primed for a monumental leap forward.”

The SDN App Store also will house solutions from HP’s SDN ecosystem partners, of which there are about 30 offering apps for myriad technologies, from security to unified communications to virtualization.

Apps developed by HP, jointly developed apps with partners and partner-certified and community-created apps also will be available in the app store. Every app receives the stamp of approval from HP to ensure they are enterprise-grade SDN apps before joining the store.

According to HP, the SDN Developer Kit is free of charge, although developers must pay $495 for a controller to test the SDN apps. AllianceOne partners receive a 55 percent discount on the controller.

To help support the open SDN ecosystem, HP announced it has added OpenFlow support to 10 new routers in its FlexNetwork portfolio, pushing the number of OpenFlow-enabled switches to 60.

HP’s moves are further proof that software-defined networking isn’t going away anytime soon. Solution providers on the fence about the technology would be well-served to find a vendor—HP or otherwise—to align with or risk getting left behind.