[Release] SandWork 5.3.0: NSX Integration and SONiC Management for Open Networking

We are proud to announce the release of SandWork 5.3.0. As enterprises continue to shift toward disaggregated hardware, the need to seamlessly orchestrate SONiC based fabrics with virtualized environments like VMware NSX is critical.

Release 5.3.0 directly addresses these needs, delivering deeper VMware NSX interoperability, enterprise-grade security for open networking devices, and improved transparency for OS lifecycle management.

Here is a look at the new capabilities driving the future of network automation.

Securing Open Networking: Global SNMPv3 Support

Security is often the biggest hurdle in adopting Open Networking at scale. In 5.3.0, we have hardened the Global Fabric Settings (GFS) by introducing full support for SNMPv3 configuration intents.

This allows network operators to standardize secure monitoring across their SONiC fleet and other open network devices without manual CLI intervention. You can now define and reconcile:

• Views & Groups

• Users (with secure authentication)

• Trap Hosts

Deep VMware NSX Integration: BGP and Route Maps

For organizations running VMware NSX, the boundary between the physical fabric (underlay) and the virtual overlay is where complexity often breaks the network.

SandWork 5.3.0 introduces advanced capabilities to manage this boundary directly via the UI, ensuring your physical switch configuration is perfectly tuned for VMware NSX interaction.

Advanced Route Map Management

You can now define, update, and delete Route Maps directly within SandWork. This enables precise control over route redistribution between your SONiC switches and NSX edge nodes.

BGP Lifecycle for NSX

We have expanded the “Update Device Config” capabilities for NSX use cases. Operators can now perform full Create/Update/Delete operations on:

• Global BGP configurations

• BGP Neighbors

• BGP Peer Groups

This ensures that your BGP peering between the physical fabric and VMware NSX gateways is consistent, automated, and error-free.

Optimized SONiC Operations

Managing the lifecycle of a SONiC operating system across a data center requires visibility. We have enhanced the user experience to make day-to-day operations smoother and more predictable.

Transparent OS Upgrades

During SONiC OS upgrades, uncertainty is the enemy. We have updated the upgrade wizard to explicitly expose default timeout and retry values.

The benefit is here mainly for engineers, who can now see baseline settings at a glance and determine if adjustments are needed for specific hardware or latency conditions, reducing the risk of failed upgrades during maintenance windows.

High-Performance Device Search

Finding a specific needle in the haystack in a massive open networking fabric is now faster. We have introduced partial address matching for MAC addresses.

Technical Updates for Developers

For NetDevOps teams building automation on top of SandWork, we have updated our file models to support these new SONiC and NSX workflows.

Upgrade to SandWork 5.3.0

SandWork 5.3.0 reinforces our commitment to making Open Networking consuming SONiC and VMware NSX as simple as managing a traditional monolithic network.