Here’s our gathering of the week’s SDN and NFV news bits around software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV), and related topics. With seemingly every player in the space showing their stuff at Interop Las Vegas this week, we’ve got a lot to share.

… The CloudEthernet Forum and Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) launched the Open Cloud Project, an open test and iterative standards development program for service providers, industry vendors and over-the-top cloud service providers. Initial work will be focused on three areas: application performance management, cloud security, and traffic load balancing. Workgroups have begun defining standards for CloudE 1.0, or “first-generation cloud Ethernet.”

… Softbank Telecom and Midokura said they will collaborate on SoftBank’s IT Infrastructure Standardization Project. Softbank plans to define and build network virtualization design using MidoNet, Midokura’s network virtualization platform.

… Extreme Networks demonstrated what it's calling a “software-defined architecture for the Experience Economy.” Designed to improve user experience “from the mobile campus to the data center,” the architecture includes unified software and high-performance hardware offerings. The company also introduced new high-performance mobile products and modules for the data center.

… SDN software company Adara Networks and Interface Masters Technologies showed off Adara's new AXIS switch at Interop. The switch runs Adara's SDN software on Interface Masters' high-capacity switching platform, the Niagara 2948-12XL-OCP, which is based on the Broadcom StrataXGS Trident II switch chip.

… Aricent announced its advanced SDN and NFV software, which is ported to Intel’s Open Network Platform (ONP) switch reference design and is available for customer trials. The software is designed to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) build top-of-rack (ToR) switches, blades, and other hardware-accelerated data center fabric switches.

… Supermicro demonstrated its new top-of-rack SDN SuperSwitch and its MicroBlade microserver. Supermicro’s 1U SDN switch platform was developed using the Intel ONP top-of-rack switch reference design. The SuperSwitch platform supports OpenFlow control protocols, and the MicroBlade server uses four Intel Ethernet Switch FM5224 modules with SDN functionality and an Intel Atom C2000 control plane processor.

… Huawei announced its Agile S12700 switch series received Miercom Performance Verified certification for overall performance and resiliency. Miercom evaluated the core switches for SDN programmable capability, performance, features, and energy efficiency.

… Ixia announced an integrated partner program. The first phase of the program aims to build a global network of qualified reseller partners that will have access to Ixia’s Visibility Architecture portfolio.

… Cavium extended its partnership with 6WIND, bringing 6WINDGate support to the Octeon III, Nitrox, and Thunder chip lines and to Cavium's LiquidIO intelligent network adapters.

… Finally, kudos to the OpenDaylight Project, as its Hydrogen code release won the Best of Interop Grand Prize. Executive Director Neela Jacques tells us he was a bit surprised, considering Hydrogen isn't a product per se. But he did tell the interviewing committee that picking OpenDaylight would be a vote to reward the vision behind it — which is apparently what they decided to do. It's the first open-source project to receive the award.