Abaco Systems Announces Enhanced Security, Flexibility for OpenWare Network Management Software

Simple switch reconfigurability minimizes risk, time, cost

Abaco Systems announced the release of OpenWare V6.3. OpenWare is Abaco’s network management software for the company’s NETernity™ layer 2/3 Ethernet switches, designed for mission critical applications that demand the utmost in security, speed, bandwidth, flexibility and robust reliability. OpenWare V6.3 adds a number of valuable enhancements.

The enhancements include the ability (“Port Wizard”) for more products to benefit from reconfigurable port types. For example, users of the SWE440A Fully Managed 3U VPX 10/40GigE Ethernet Switch will be able to quickly and easily reconfigure it from being a switch supporting eight 40Gigabit Ethernet ports to one supporting six 40Gigabit Ethernet ports and eight 10Gigabit Ethernet ports. This reduces the risk, time and cost involved in deploying switches in different environments, providing future-proof scalability.

Support for 10GBASE-KX4 for the SWE440A is also provided by V6.3, making it even easier to build a system using the GBX411 (for 1000BASE-T connectivity) and connect it to the SWE440A (for backplane switching) at 10Gbps. Additionally, the new release enables the recently-announced SWE540A Fully Managed 6U VPX 40 Gigabit Ethernet Switch to run the control plane ports at 10GBASE-KR (or at 1000BASE-KX).

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A small, but customer-requested, enhancement is to enable the serial number of the switch to be displayed by the OpenWare console, making it easier for customers to track and maintain an Abaco switch.

Also included are numerous security CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) patches helping protect customers from the latest risks.

Among OpenWare’s features that set it apart from competing offerings are password-controlled access at all levels – even down to the boot-loader– meaning no changes can be made without being authorized. Multiple levels of user are supported, with different logins for status-only, admin user, and super-user, meaning that different roles or ranks can be given different degrees of access.

A key differentiator is OpenWare’s very fast start-up: in some Abaco switches, this is under 15 seconds – a remarkable achievement for a fully managed switch, and one which means customers do not have to choose between fast boot or optimum functionality. OpenWare also provides protocols that manage link and device failure, allowing switch over of traffic to other links in a controlled manner.

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“OpenWare was launched nearly 20 years ago, and has been used by customers in a wide range of industries including defense, commercial, and industrial,” said Peter Thompson, Vice President, Product Management at Abaco Systems. “Throughout that time, enhancements to the software have been made to meet evolving networking protocol standards, and also by incorporating customer requests for certain capabilities.   Being able to customize OpenWare to meet particular needs is one of OpenWare’s many strengths – and one which our customers have leveraged on numerous occasions. This latest release further enhances OpenWare, enabling it to retain and extend its market leading position.”

Installable as a simple plug ‘n’ play switch environment, OpenWare allows customers to progressively implement management, network and protocol features that best meet their requirements.

OpenWare was developed inhouse by Abaco’s Networking Innovation Centre – making it inherently highly customizable to specific customer requirements. Its multi-level military-grade security delivers the optimum application-dependent balance between protecting data and preventing unauthorized access on the one hand and accessibility and usability on the other.  OpenWare’s GNU/Linux®-based architecture blends open source network switching and routing with Abaco’s experience and expertise in advanced network management to deliver the best of both worlds. It is based on industry standard layer 2/3 network protocols, management and security technology, making OpenWare-based switches compatible with existing network infrastructures for maximum deployability.

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