Nokia and Apple develop new tools for 5G management

Nokia announces significant advancement in data center networks: the new operating system and tools give cloud systems an unprecedented ability to adapt, automate and scale.

Apple is one of the first to adopt this innovative technology, implementing this solution within its iCloud operations in its data centers.

Nokia redefined data center construction with the launch of a network operating system (NOS) and a set of intent-based declarative automation and operational tools.

This will allow the creators of data centers and virtual centers to scale and adapt operations based on the exponential growth of historical traffic and the constant change brought about by technological changes such as 5G and Industry 4.0. The new Nokia Service Router Linux (SR Linux) NOS and the Nokia Fabric Service Platform (FSP) have been jointly developed with leading global web companies, such as Apple, who are implementing this technology in their data centers.

Nokia SR Linux is a real breakthrough as it is the first fully modern NOS based on microservices and the SR Linux NDK (NetOps Development Kit) offers a complete and diverse set of features.

Applications are easily integrated through modern tools such as gRPC (remote procedure calls) and

Applications are easily integrated with modern tools such as gRPC (remote procedure call) and protocol buffers, without the need for recompilation, without language limitations and without dependencies. SR Linux also inherits Nokia's Internet protocols, tested in real life, from the service router operating system (SROS), which is the flagship of the huge installed base of Nokia routers used by operators. SR Linux is the industry's first flexible and open networking development environment for applications.

Nokia FSP provides the toolset cloud fabricators need to implement intent-based network policies and operations. Far beyond a node-based management system, FSP was designed to build, deploy and monitor the entire network of a data center with a robust network-level architecture.

Ultimately, the FSP includes technologies available only to the largest cloud operators, such as the real-time virtual good health digital twin for validation and troubleshooting.

The combined solution combines transparency, flexibility, robustness and automation to make data centers and the cloud environment easier to expand, adapt and manage.

Adam Bechtel, Apple's Vice President and Chief Network Officer, says:  “We regularly update our data center equipment with technologies that increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption. Using Nokia's new system will allow us to improve network and routing capabilities within our facilities in Viborg, Denmark. "

Complete press release from Nokia