Here's a glance at the week's news bits around software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV).

1. Google and HP Join the Public-Cloud Wars

Google launched its public cloud to general availability this week, raising the checkered flag on what should be a fun race against Amazon and Microsoft. Google is promising 99.95 percent reliability for critical projects and is apparently putting the squeeze on Amazon in terms of memory pricing.

HP launched its public cloud to general availability last weekend and announced loaded it with new features announced Monday. But as The Register points out, HP's cloud is also loaded with limitations. Some appear to be bugs. For instance, if you launch a large number of instances all at once, some "might not be pingable or accessible via ssh," HP's release notes read.

Others are more deliberate. The Register notes, for instance, that "HP has apparently dropped support for both Amazon EC2 APIs and private cloud Eucalyptus tools."

2. Metaswitch's IMS Project Grows

Metaswitch's Project Clearwater, an open-source, cloud-based IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) framework, is making connections with open-source partners. On Monday, Metaswitch announced a partnership with TeleStax — making Restcomm, that company's open-source cloud communications platform, available on top of Project Clearwater.

Metaswitch officials tell SDxCentral they've got a similar arrangement with the folks behind Tropo Inc. — formerly Voxeo Labs, the company that provides, among other things, a set of open-source telecom software also named Tropo.

These aren't financial partnerships. They're part of Metaswitch's overall effort to get Project Clearwater into the minds of telecom's developer communities.

Metaswitch does have products coming out as well. A virtual route reflector — which was an unannounced beta product included in a recent Cyan demo — has now become an unannounced "real" product. But the bigger goal behind Project Clearwater is to enhance Metaswitch's standing with that telecom developer community.

3. Plexxi Gears Up for Round Two

Plexxi is preparing the next version of its packet-optical switch, one that sports 72 ports of 10-Gb/s Ethernet and four optical uplinks, according to The Rayno Report. It's cleverly named the Plexxi Switch 2.

4. Napatech Goes Public

Didn't hear about this one? You're not alone — and you're probably not in Norway. Napatech was due to go public on the Oslo Exchange on Friday morning, and it's forbidden from doing any marketing or promo in certain countries including the United States, Canada, and Japan. You can read this news missive about the offering, but it doesn't offer much detail. Napatech sells network-monitoring hardware — boards that probe and appliance vendors add to their own wares.

5. Even Under SDN, Switch Hardware Matters. Usually.

From the blogosphere: Ethan Banks, one of the guys behind the Packet Pushers Podcast, puts up a detailed argument that even if SDN takes over the world, the hardware matters. Yes, there are times where that won't be the case, but Banks argues these will be a minority.

Read more breaking news on SDxCentral: