KEMP Details SDN Application, LoadMaster at HP Discover

Networking load balancer vendor KEMP Technologies detailed the latest features of its Virtual LoadMaster ADC during the HP Discover 2014 conference in Las Vegas. Among the new bells and whistles, the Virtual LoadMaster ADC now provides L2-7 load balancing with SDN Adaptive technology through the HP VAN (Virtual Applications Networks) Controller.

The Virtual LoadMaster ADC is now capable of allowing customers to build application environments that benefit from software-defined networking (SDN), as application delivery controllers are important factors in creating flexible and efficient application network deployments. KEMP noted its customers increasingly are demanding more solutions that combine SDN with its L2 and L4-7 network functions to ultimately increase the effectiveness of their systems.

“KEMP Technologies is focused on providing dynamic application delivery value throughout the HP ecosystem,” said Peter Melerud, executive vice president of Product Management at KEMP Technologies, in a prepared statement. “Working with the HP Virtual Application Networks SDN Controller, we are able to enhance our ability to steer traffic based on our own first-to-market SDN Adaptive scheduling methods, combined with the network awareness of the VAN controller.”

With the KEMP SDN Adaptive Load Balancing Application, Virtual LoadMasters are expected to be able to pull circuit information related to network congestion across the northbound interface directly within the SDN controller for better application load-balancing decisions, according to the press release. KEMP said this will increase application visibility and improve Layer 2 traffic-steering capabilities for its users, as well as enabling true ADC and SDN integration.

During HP Discover, KEMP also revealed new details on its LoadMaster Operating System for HP ProLiant, which provides HP customers with scalability for application growth and increased performance for their software-defined data centers. The system requires only a bare metal installation with no need for an abstraction layer between the LoadMaster and the underlying hardware, meaning applications no longer need to communicate with a load balancing appliance external to the ProLiant infrastructure, according to KEMP. The lack of an abstraction layer is expected to minimize communication paths and response times to avoid latency challenges within the system.

“As enterprise customers are expected to handle increasingly heavy workloads, the LoadMaster provides powerful, scalable application delivery in order to maintain performance and availability across the infrastructure,” said Melerud.