PLVision’s Open Source Solution for Enabling OpenWRT-Routers with SDN Functionality

PLVision is happy to present one of its recent developments – the Open vSwitch package for OpenWrt purposed for enabling routers with SDN functionality.

For the past years, PLVision has been working on technologies in the Networking domain, namely Software Defined Networks. Apart from assimilating already existing solutions, the company has developed its own Open vSwitch package for OpenWrt which considerably extends router functionality and adaptability, and is completely free.

For PLVision, developing the Open vSwitch package for OpenWrt was a matter of necessity. “We needed an OpenFlow-based package for managing wireless clients, but none of the existing solutions met our requirements,” said Leonid Khedyk, Head of R&D Department. “This is when we decided to develop our own solution tailored specifically for our needs, but as well convenient for others to use.”

Using two open source platforms – OpenWrt and Open vSwitch, the company’s engineers have found a simple way to obtain an OpenFlow-enabled router. It means that basically any OpenWrt router can be turned into an SDN-router, which presents a number of advantages both to system administrators and end-users. An OpenFlow-enabled router makes network management more automated, reducing error-prone manual intervention, and more flexible, meaning that it can be adjusted for specific requirements. It also presents potential for virtualization, and ability to utilize existing physical networks (overlay).

The Open vSwitch package for OpenWrt facilitates access management to wireless networks, as well as enables automatic wireless network authentication for users with multiple mobile devices. On the whole, it helps to simplify the fulfillment of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies with easier network administration and quick network access, especially in BYOD companies with distributed networking infrastructure.

“Software Defined Networks is a relatively new field. Not that many solutions exist nowadays, and most of them are very expensive,” commented Oleh Serhiyenko, PLVision’s Senior Software Engineer. “We developed a software package that helped us solve our specific problem, and we welcome other organizations to use this product for enabling routers with Open-Flow, absolutely free of charge.”

Request the software packages by contacting us here. Separate solutions are available for OpenWrt D-Link routers based on Atheros 71xx, Broadcom 47xx, and Broadcom 63xx chipsets.

About PLVision

PLVision is a European IT Company providing software outsourcing and software engineering services. We help B2B IT companies develop advanced software solutions, providing a full cycle of software development and testing in the areas of Networking, Embedded Systems, Telecom, and Multimedia.