Research Hub

Below will be the compilation of all the research I have completed on white-box switching, its financial and technical benefits, and other data. Each header is a separate reference or topic with a corresponding link.

Bare Metal Networking - Leveraging "White Box" Thinking (2014)

This is a relatively older source, originating from PICA8, a prominent NOS development organization.

• White Boxes are becoming much more popular
  • InfoWorld authors predicted a "sizeable uptick in white box sales over the next five years" (2015-2020)
  • Former Cisco CEO John Chambers said white boxes are a threat to the company's margins
• ODMs (Original Device Manufacturers) sell switches to OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers, Cisco, Juniper, etc.) who then load their own operating systems onto the devices and sell the final products as bundles.
• Due to the switch software being closed and proprietary, making any changes to the network ecosystem is extremely costly
• PICA8 offers both their open-source operating system (PicOS) and preloaded switches as products
  • Those who want to use different hardware with PICA8's customizable software can
  • As well as those who just want customizable software already installed on the switch
• Compatability between bare-metal devices and PICA8
  • There are three requirements for the device to be portable with PicOS: the CPU Board Support Package (BSP), the "U-Boot", and the ASIC's APIs.
  • "This is why all the shite box, software-defined networking vendors either sell the complete switch and OS solution or provide a list of pre-qualified devices so you can directly buy the hardware."

Pica8 White box switching fundamentals

This short video gives a basic fundamental overview of what white-box switching is and what its capabilities are.

• Pica8 allows one to run a Linux based operating system in 2 different formats
  • Layer 2/3 switch using BGP and OSPF
  • Open vSwitch with open flow controllers
• There is no reason to be running a proprietary operating system when you can use the more customizable Linux OS's and bash shell.

Myth-busting: White-box Switches are No Bargain

A conflicting view on White Boxes from Cisco bashing it's "hidden costs".

• Two independent reports highlight how the up-front cost savings of white box switches are small when compared to traditional vendors
  • "Whitebox Switches are Not Exactly a Bargain" Deutsche Bank (No article found)
  • "The Myth of White-Box Network Switches" Forrester
• "Cisco analysis shows that white-box switches are more expensive when you include operational expenditures, such as integration of third-party software, tools and support costs"
• Overall this seems like a Cisco ploy in order to steer people away from white boxes
  • They want people to purchase their products so they will say that their competition is more expensive.

Open Networking vs. Legacy Networking

This Cumulus report highlights total cost reduction in their customers when they switched to open networking. The data is based on their sales of their NVIDIA Cumulus Linux products.

• "In this report, we demonstrate the economic benefits of building and operating a modern Layer 3 leaf/spine data center with web-scale-inspired networking as compared to traditional networking with a closed vendor."
• Modern data centers are turning to the scalable and distributed leaf/spine network design with layer 3
  • Although this design and data is meant for larger enterprises, the findings are still important
• Below is a price comparison of a specific leaf/spine network which is designed for oversubscription of 3:1
• The costs include
  • Switch hardware
  • Required optics and DAC to complete PODs
  • OS required for layer 3
  • Software updates and support for 3 years
• The next graph shows how using open networking solutions saves more money when scaling
• Overall, according to NVIDIA and Cumulus' sales, their customers save much more money when choosing their open products and solutions

The Pros & Cons of a Potential Market Disrupter

An article from International Data Group about the future of enterprise networking.

• Lessons learned through the tests Network World performed on white-box switches through IDG's Clear Choice Test program
  • Bare-Metal Switching wins in having lower costs than proprietary products
  • Due to NOSs being Linux based network design is much more flexible
  • White-box switching allows for portability with other hardware
  • Different and accessible switching syntax vs. inaccessible complicated proprietary syntax
  • Routing syntax is mostly the same
  • The learning curve for open-source solutions can lead to higher costs (certifications, professionals, etc.)
  • Complex data storage can cause issues when using several different applications/systems
  • Performance of hardware and software is consistent and high quality
• Overall, it feels like the pros outweigh the cons of using white-box switching
  • The biggest downside appears to be the accessibility/learning of the tools in question

Open Network Linux

This is my basic research for the NOS ONL.

• "ONL is an Open-source, foundational platform software layer for next-generation, modular NOS architecture on open networking hardware"
• Certificates offered for those who complete these prerequisites:
  • ONLP and other necessary code supporting the device submitted to ONL repository via a pull request (https://github.com/opencomputeproject/OpenNetworkLinux/pulls) ONLP output from the device being submitted with at least two cables per port speed in device Public or private availability of ONIE and other software (rom, cpld, etc) Information describing network switch model, chipsets (CPU, Switching), hardware revision, switch ROM and ONIE version
• Software is based on Debian Linux
• ONL supports multiple switch fabric APIs including: OF-DPA, OpenNSL and SAI
• ONL is also compatible with forwarding agents such as: FRRouting, Quagga, Bird, Facebook FBOSS, Google gNOS and Azure SONiC
• ONL is very base-level, only providing example packet forwarding code
  • It's up to the user (or others) to write their own packet forwarding code
  • Their goal is to be a development platform for users to build their own forwarding applications
  • For example, Big Switch Network SwitchLight OS is based on ONL
• There is a ton of documentation on their website for building ONL out

DENT

DENT is a new project started by The Linux Foundation.

• Goal is to "enable the creation of Network OS for Disaggregated Network Switches in campus and remote enterprise locations" and "to unify and grow the community of Silicon Vendors, ODMs, System Integrators, OEMs, and end-users to create an ecosystem of contributors around a full-featured network operating system."
• Members of this project include:
  • Amazon
  • Cumulus Networks
  • Delta Electronics Inc
  • Marvell
  • Mellanox
  • Wistron NeWeb
  • Edge-Core Networks
• Will utilize the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux based projects
• It's still in development but those wishing to join can do so through their website