The OpenDaylight Project is a collaborative open source project hosted by The Linux Foundation. The goal of the project is to accelerate the adoption of software-defined networking (SDN) and create a solid foundation for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). The software is written in Java.
History
On February 8, 2013, the Software Defined Networking site "SDN Central" broke news of an industry coalition forming around SDN. The goal of the coalition was not known at the time, with most information consisting of rumors and insider discussions.
On April 8, 2013, The Linux Foundation announced the founding of the OpenDaylight Project as a community-led and industry-supported open source framework to accelerate adoption, foster new innovation and create a more open and transparent approach to Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). The project’s founding members—Arista Networks, Big Switch Networks, Brocade, Cisco, Citrix, Ericsson, HP, IBM, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, NEC, Nuage Networks, PLUMgrid, Red Hat and VMware—committed to donating software and engineering resources for OpenDaylight’s open source framework to help define the future of an open source SDN platform.
Reaction to the OpenDaylight Project has been mixed. Reaction to the goals of open architecture and administration by the Linux Foundation have been mostly positive. While initial criticism centered on concerns that this group could be used by incumbent technology vendors to stifle innovation, most of the companies signed up as members do not actually sell incumbent networking technology. Of the Platinum members, Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, VMware, Red Hat, and Citrix would not be considered "incumbent" technology providers in the networking segment. Only Brocade, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard would typically fall into that category.
Technology Overview
By supporting open standards such as the OpenFlow Networking Standard, OpenDaylight will deliver a common open source framework and platform for SDN across the industry for customers, partners and developers. The first code from the OpenDaylight Project, named Hydrogen, was released in February 2014. Expected donations and projects for Hydrogen include an open controller, a virtual overlay network, protocol plug-ins and switch device enhancements.
A source code repository includes contributed source code from Big Switch Networks, Cisco and NEC. There is a dedicated Open Daylight wiki, and a mailing list available. These resources appear to currently be aimed at developers wishing to contribute to the project.
The software is written in Java.
Releases
The following lists the different OpenDaylight releases:
| Release Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Hydrogen | February 2014 |
| Helium | October 2014 |
| Lithium | June 2015 |
| Beryllium | February 2016 (Planned) |
Members
There are three tiers of membership for OpenDaylight: Platinum, Gold and Silver, with varying levels of commitment. Each Platinum member must contribute 10 developers to the project while Gold members must contribute 3 developers. By 2015 April, Juniper and VMWare changed its contribution level to silver.
Platinum Members
| Silver Members
|