Open Networking: From Concept to Reality

When I first heard about Cumulus Networks in August 2013, I thought, “what’s the catch?” Now, after a year of working with companies deploying Cumulus Linux based switches in their production environments, it turns out there is really no catch. Open networking is for real.

The way you buy a server is now the way you can buy a switch

An open ecosystem has supported the server business for many years. One can build servers with components from various suppliers and run their choice of operating system. This same concept for the networking world, now called “open networking” for the disaggregated model of switch hardware and software, has long been on many wish lists.

The good news: this concept is a reality now, thanks to companies like Cumulus Networks whose OS, Cumulus Linux, is a Debian based distribution that is the OS for open networking on bare metal switches.

No License Gotchas

With Cumulus Linux, there are no additional or “enhanced” license fees akin to what traditional vendors have charged for years. The yearly renewal license fees cost the same each year – not a penny more. The yearly or multi-year license (option) can be ported from one switch Continue reading