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Data center networking with OpenSwitch
Switched On
OpenSwitch is an open source, community-based platform for building customized data center networks. OpenSwitch [1] entered the stage in Fall 2015 [2] when Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced the new network operating system in cooperation with Accton Technology Corporation, Arista, Broadcom, Intel, and VMware. The series of Altoline switches [3] by HP Enterprise (HPE), as the group is now called, were supported from the very beginning. Less than a year later, more advocates were found, such as Mellanox, Cavium Extreme Networks, and even LinkedIn and Microsoft. Since the beginning of June 2016, OpenSwitch has been an official project under the auspices of the Linux Foundation [4] [5].
Difficult Beginnings
OpenSwitch can be regarded from two perspectives: the user's or the developer's. To explore OpenSwitch as a user, you need compatible hardware, such as a suitable switch. For the developer, the entry point is the OpenSwitch Gerrit page [6]. For development work, the prospective programmer needs a GitHub account and the Git [7] and Gerrit [8] tools. The project page [9] explains the individual steps. If you have dealt with Yocto [10] in the past, you should be able to find your way around pretty quickly. Yocto is a Linux distribution for small systems and is the foundation for OpenSwitch (Figure 1).
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