Seems like the idea of making disparate IP networks into one big happy virtual core is popular. Juniper did it a couple of weeks ago, and now Force10 Networks has released a set of tools to help service providers virtualize switches and routers in large data centers.
The idea is to create a virtual consolidation of physical assets so they can be maintained, updated and managed as one. The advantage lies in cost savings as well as the ability to shift network resources in concert to meet the needs of multiple applications without having to make changes to each physical asset individually.
Force10 has introduced VirtualControl, which lets one switch or router act like multiple, and VirtualScale, which does the opposite: it consolidates multiple switches and routers so they can act as one.
