Open Networking Has Arrived

“My servers run on Linux. My team knows how to manage Linux servers and networks. It just makes sense for my switches to run on Linux too.” 

What most people don’t know is that many high-end network switches already run on Linux.

Switches from Cisco^®, Extreme Networks^® and Arista^® use Linux to run their switch hardware (the operating system is hidden behind abstractions and APIs). As well, most of these share the same switching silicon products from Broadcom^® and Intel^®.

We are in the midst of a major transformation in networking. Innovation from companies like Cumulus Networks^® and Edge-Core^® are leading the way, disrupting the way new networks are deployed and old networks are upgraded.

In my role as head of product engineering at Tuangru, almost every small-to-mid size hosting service provider I talk to is considering open networking. Why? Because it just makes sense.

Open network hardware is more affordable and easy to acquire. The Linux software is familiar and, in most cases, admins prefer it over the next CLI and syntax versions available.

The rise of DevOps and cloud technologies like OpenStack are driving higher levels of automation and uniformity. Continue reading