Calix Launches AXOS OFx Connector

PETALUMA, CA — Calix, a provider of broadband communications access systems, announced the completion of AXOS OFx (OpenFlow) Connector for the ON.Lab vOLT-HA (virtual optical line terminal-hardware abstraction) open source project. Leveraging the native NETCONF/YANG interfaces of the Calix AXOS platform, OFx opens the gates for rapid integration of AXOS software defined access platform, into ON.Lab ONOS and CORD (central office re-imaged as a datacenter) networks. Implemented in less than four weeks, AXOS OFx ushers in the beginning of the anySDN era, and marks the first time that CORD has been extended to commercial OLT systems, allowing service providers to move forward with plug-and-play adoption of CORD for production networks.

Componentized Architecture
“Since the creation of the AXOS platform, it was clear that its componentized architecture would provide operators with never before seen speed of delivery,” said Shane Eleniak, Calix vice president of product line leadership. “AXOS OFx Connector is the first in a series of SDN and OSS ecosystem connectors leveraging AXOS native support for both NETCONF/YANG and OpenFlow. Connecting AXOS NETCONF/YANG management interfaces into the ONOS flow-based SDN controller extends ONOS utility to both management and control functions. With this introduction service providers now have the ultimate flexibility to rapidly integrate AXOS into SDN orchestration and control architectures – a capability unique to Calix customers deploying AXOS systems.”

Supporting ON.Lab ONOS and CORD Projects
The AXOS OFx Connector is yet another demonstration of the extensive Calix involvement with the ON.Lab ONOS and CORD projects. As service providers begin to implement a CORD architecture, OFx Connector and the vOLT-HA software will serve as a critical integration layer, allowing operators to integrate OSS and SDN controllers into their business systems, while simultaneously allowing new products like the AXOS E9-2 Intelligent Edge System to enter the network rapidly and without expensive integration efforts.

Software Defined Access
“AXOS OFx marks a shift in the access market from cumbersome proprietary integrations and custom orchestration layered on top of legacy access systems, to the velocity of software defined access,” said Michael Weening, Calix executive vice president of global sales and marketing. “This is the first of many AXOS platform connectors based on industry standards which will radically reduce integration complexity for our customers. The AXOS platform allows Calix customers to connect to the full range of SDN controllers and orchestrators virtually upon deployment. Our engineers leveraged AXOS to build OFx Connector in less than four weeks, a clear proxy for the pace of innovation that AXOS enables in our customers’ environments.”

Service providers seeking to accelerate their pace of innovation and begin to leverage the power of anySDN can download Calix AXOS Sandbox today, enabling them to start integration and testing of actual production software releases of Calix systems virtually without any Calix hardware.