For us, it’s all about high-availability hosting platforms “Made in Germany” — from dedicated servers and colocation to cloud servers — all hosted in Frankfurt with a direct DE-CIX connection. To ensure this infrastructure remains reliable, scalable, and future-proof, we are modernizing our network.
Together with our partner Xantaro and Nokia, we have selected a new Data Center Fabric: Nokia 7220 Interconnect Routers powered by the Nokia SR Linux network operating system.
In this post, we take a look behind the scenes at:
Why we chose Nokia SR Linux.
The role Containerlab plays for us.
And most importantly: The concrete benefits for our customers.
The Starting Point: Growth, Automation, and Digital Sovereignty
As a professional hosting provider for business-critical applications, we operate an infrastructure that is constantly growing — in terms of bandwidth, number of systems, and complexity. With classic, highly manual network setups, you quickly reach limits:
Network changes must be implemented cautiously, often at night.
Upgrades can pose risks to running services.
Test environments only reflect the production network to a limited extent.
At the same time, as a German provider, we consciously focus on digital sovereignty, European value creation, and the deliberate choice of European technology partners — from data center infrastructure to the network stack.
The question was therefore:
How do we build a data center network that is highly automated, stable, and realistically testable — while reflecting our European values?
The Decision: Nokia 7220 IXR + SR Linux as Data Center Fabric
After a structured evaluation together with Xantaro, we decided on Nokia 7220 IXR switches, running as a Data Center Fabric and controlled by the Nokia SR Linux network operating system.
What sets this combination apart?
Modern Hardware for Leaf-Spine Architectures
The Nokia 7220 IXR series offers 10/25/40/100/400G ports and is explicitly designed for scalable Data Center Fabrics.
For us, this means:
Sufficient headroom for future growth.
Flexible designs for AI, Cloud, or Storage workloads.
An open architecture based on standards (such as EVPN-VXLAN) rather than proprietary protocols.
SR Linux: Open, Modular NOS
Nokia SR Linux is a modern, microservices-based network operating system developed from the ground up for automation and integration.
Particularly important to us:
Open APIs and telemetry instead of a closed black box.
A clear operating model that fits well with Infrastructure-as-Code approaches.
An ecosystem of tools, documentation, community, and an active SR Linux channel.
Focus on Automation & Event-Driven Automation
Thanks to its open architecture and APIs, SR Linux provides the ideal basis for event-driven automation: We can detect network events in real-time and link them directly to defined actions — e.g., for automated troubleshooting or configuration validation. This allows us to move away from reactive, manual processes toward proactive, automated operational stability.
Containerlab: Our Data Center Network in Miniature
One of the core arguments for Nokia SR Linux was its tight integration with the open-source project Containerlab.
Containerlab allows us to build complete network topologies based on container images on one or a few hosts — including Nokia SR Linux — and to start, modify, and tear them down quickly.
Our new target vision for network operations:
1:1 Replication of Network Topology and Logic in the Lab
Our new Data Center Fabric is realistically replicated in the lab — including routing, services, and relevant policies.
Safe Testing of Changes & Upgrades
We test new features, configuration changes, or software releases in Containerlab first. Only when everything is cleanly validated is it applied to the hardware. This establishes a workflow where changes are rolled out to the live network automatically and with low risk.
For us, this is a real gamechanger: While we previously tested critical changes on dedicated "Shadow Hardware," Containerlab makes this process significantly more flexible and efficient. We no longer need to reserve physical hardware for testing but can simulate scenarios virtually and on-demand. This saves resources while increasing our speed and release stability.
Concrete Added Value for Our Customers
Ultimately, what matters most to our customers is the result. With the ongoing implementation of the Nokia 7220 IXR Fabric and SR Linux, we are taking our infrastructure to the next level and strengthening our core promises:
1. More Stability & Availability
Changes are tested in the lab first.
Automated validation reduces configuration errors.
Modern hardware and redundant designs strengthen resilience.
2. Faster, Safer Changes
Rollouts in the new setup are automated and reproducible.
Rollbacks are plannable and tested.
New requirements (e.g., for Cloud or AI workloads) can be implemented faster.
3. Transparent, Sovereign Infrastructure
Focus on European partners and value creation.
Data center and data storage in Germany, direct DE-CIX connection.
Openness in the stack (APIs, Containerlab, Community) instead of proprietary silos.
4. Future-Proof Platform for New Products
Whether Dedicated Servers, Cloud Servers, S3 Object Storage, or Colocation: The underlying fabric is designed to flexibly support new services — from classic web applications to high-scaling microservices architectures.
Outlook: More Automation, More Europe, More Freedom
By choosing Nokia SR Linux and the 7220 IXR Data Center Fabric, we have laid an important technological foundation to further expand our platform in the coming years.
What you can expect from us:
Maximum flexibility and scalability: With the new design, we can easily expand capacities and keep pace with your growth.
Even more stable hosting environments for business-critical workloads.
A highly automated infrastructure that minimizes errors and increases speed.
A clear focus on digital sovereignty and European value creation.
If you would like to learn more about how our infrastructure is built and what advantages it brings to your project, feel free to check out our infrastructure section or contact us directly.
