Cloud, Open Source, and New Network Models: Part 2

James Urquhart | CNET | October 20, 2011

OpenStack's Quantum network service project is an early attempt to define a common, simple abstraction of an OSI Layer 2 network segment. What does that abstraction look like, and how does Quantum allow the networking market to flourish and innovate under such a simple concept?

OpenStack itself is an open-source project that aims to deliver a massively scalable cloud operating system, the software that coordinates how infrastructure (such as servers, networks, and data storage) are delivered to the applications and services that consume that infrastructure. Easily the largest open-source community in this space--others include Eucalyptus and CloudStack--OpenStack consists of three core projects...