Rendition Networks joins the F5 Networks iControl advantage alliance program.

Rendition Networks, a provider of a network configuration control product, TrueControl, recently announced seamless integration between TrueControl and F5 Networks' BIG-IP Application Switch, 3-DNS Controller and BIG-IP Link Controller products.

Managing configuration files for networking devices is critical to network uptime, and industry analysts estimate that up to 80 percent of all network outages can be attributed to a mistaken configuration. TrueControl's support of F5 Networks' products assures customers of complete control over all aspects of the configuration process, including who made the changes and which changes were made. It also acts as the central repository for configurations across all of the devices.

"We're pleased to have Rendition Networks add support for our products and expand our growing portfolio of iControl-based solutions," said Jim Ritchings, vice president of business development for F5 Networks. "TrueControl excels within a multi-vendor environment and makes it easier for companies to choose best-of-breed products such as F5's Application Traffic Management solutions."

Integration was completed through the F5 iControl SDK, an open SOAP/XML API that delivers secure, encrypted intercommunication between F5 products and third-party applications. Enterprises that use BIG-IP and 3-DNS solutions can now use TrueControl to track, describe, and regulate changes to those devices in real-time. This enables them to efficiently debug and recover from outages caused by misconfigurations, thus minimizing costly downtime. When an engineer changes a BIG-IP pool, it will alter traffic to a set of services or applications. TrueControl immediately notifies the network operators and engineers that the configuration changed and provides detailed information about which lines in the configuration have been altered. If the change causes a problem, network staff will be able to use TrueControl to quickly identify the cause and restore the original configuration with a single click.

"Many of our customers deploy leading-edge solutions such as the F5 BIG-IP and 3-DNS products, and this new support for F5 products further extends TrueControl's industry-leading device coverage," said Raghav Kher, CEO of Rendition Networks. "This is a great win for our mutual customers and provides them with even greater insight and accountability for changes in their heterogeneous networks."

"Network managers need better ways to consolidate the configuration files of their devices and control changes of those devices," said Dave Kosiur, senior analyst with The Burton Group. "Controlling network devices is only going to get worse as the number, and variety, of devices continues to increase. TrueControl provides network managers with a simple, easy-to-use, but very powerful, product that eases the configuration of devices and reduces downtime."

TrueControl is available today. Pricing is based on the number of managed nodes and begins at $29,990 for 75 managed nodes.