Introduction

The so-called white switch, as the name suggests it is a switch with no brand. Nowadays, SDN (Software Definition Network) is becoming more and more popular, and white switches attract more and more business attention when deploying next-generation data centers due to the fact that most of the solutions to SDN in the startup period include white switches.

White switch is just a switch with hardware structure; it is not available without software. Each switch must have a hardware-independent operating system, and similar to the Linux and Windows, which is to make full use of the abstraction layer on the bare metal switch, so a hardware-independent operating system is a primary condition for white switches.

The ideal operating system for white switches is Linux OS, which offers a number of advantages (including open source / free tools such as GCC, Python's local environment, and the ability to compile applications onboard), and OS requires seamless integration the existing L2 / L3 topology, supporting a basic set of features.

For some start-ups, the combination of Controller and White switches seems to be able to completely subvert traditional network architectures and traditional branded network devices, so in addition to the operating system, the second condition of the white switch is the SDN controller. If the white switch can interact with the SDN controller, then this combination will play a greater role.

Speaking of SDN controller, many people may know OpenFlow, in fact, the white switch operating system also has multiple controller interfaces, including OpenFlow, VMware vCenter Orchestration, OpenDaylight and so on. Through the white switch to decoupling or coupling hardware platform and software operating system, and ultimately to reduce costs, give users the right to choose the best hardware and software platform.

Conclusion

Many small and medium enterprises are gradually introducing the white switches; large enterprises are considering the effect made by the white switch on the data center planning. The new generation of the data center requires open, standard, unified interface network equipment. Based on this demand, white switches are gradually being accepted by more and more people, the users are accordingly increasing. It is estimated that in the next few years, white switches will become an important part of the data center layout.