Skip to main content
All Posts By

DENT

2023 OCP DENT Mini Summit Part 4: DENT Features Roadmap

By Blog, Community News

This blog post is the fourth in a series of 10 summarizing the sessions from the OCP DENT Mini Summit. Please see previous posts here:

Part 1: https://dent.dev/blog/2024/03/19/2023-ocp-dent-mini-summit-part-1-leading-the-evolution-of-nos/

Part 2: https://dent.dev/blog/2024/03/21/2023-ocp-dent-mini-summit-part-2-introduction-to-dent/

Part 3: https://dent.dev/blog/2024/03/26/2023-ocp-dent-mini-summit-series-part-3-vision-of-dent/

2023 marked the most active year in DENT’s history. Taskin Ucpinar, Senior Director of Software with Edgecore Networks Corporation and Amazon representative, detailed DENT’s 2023 journey. 

DENT embraced a new era with the release of Cynthia 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2, with unprecedented focus on stability and deployability. 

DENT v3.0, released March 30th, 2023, implemented a new LTS kernel, following kernel upstream best practices. DENT 3.0 ushered in the technical community’s move to a rapid innovation/release cycle, enabling earlier access to requested features in a modern DevOps world that includes 802.1x, QoS, IGMP Snooping, and Egress Policing. 

DENT 3.0 built on a solid foundation of fundamental OS features for networking, three years in the making, that included SwitchDev, POE+ and others. Specific feature updates in 3.0 include:

DENT v3.1 soon followed in accordance with DENT’s rapid release cycle. Released June 22nd, 2023, v3.1 included over 240 new test suites and fully vetted versions of IEEE 802.1x, QoS, IPv6, and IGMP Snooping.

DENT continued its acceleration of retail marketing momentum with the launch of DENT v3.2. Enhancements include a fortified test suite covering critical network protocols, an upgrade to Debian 10 LTS for leveraging latest Linux features, virtualization support for running DENT on VMs, virtual routing and forwarding for network segmentation, and support for TN48M2-SWDEV, a 48-port 10G switch with 6 40G uplinks from Delta Electronics.

2024: The Year of DENT v4 Deep Thought. DENT plans to migrate to Debian 12, enhance LLDP and PoE support, introduce a firmware upgrader, and expand testing for protocols and authentication methods. DENT remains committed to compatibility and efficiency, integrating with the Linux kernel and offering OCPI for application development. The introduction of Switch Manager streamlines integration between DENT and OCPI.

Future aspirations include package streaming, ZTP, OpenConfig support, multicast routing, and fortified security measures. Users are encouraged to explore DENT’s resources, from open-source repositories on GitHub to comprehensive documentation on the DENT website. With each step forward, DENT reaffirms its commitment to empowering users and driving innovation in networking technology.

Follow us for more updates!

2023 OCP DENT Mini Summit Part 3: Vision of DENT

By Blog, Community News

This blog post is the third in a series of 10 summarizing the sessions from the OCP DENT Mini Summit. Please see previous posts here:

Part 1: https://dent.dev/blog/2024/03/19/2023-ocp-dent-mini-summit-part-1-leading-the-evolution-of-nos/

Part 2: https://dent.dev/blog/2024/03/21/2023-ocp-dent-mini-summit-part-2-introduction-to-dent/

The DENT community hosted a Mini Summit during the OCP Global Summit to gather industry leaders, engineers, developers, and stakeholders interested in DENT within the framework of the OCP.

Amazon’s Jason Long, Director of Network Development, provided perspective on DENT’s vision and ability to revolutionize NOS. By utilizing Linux Kernel, SAI, Switchdev, and other Linux-based projects, DENT has fostered a strong support system for disaggregation and accelerated innovation.

Unlike existing solutions like Sonic, DENT starts its journey at the edge, targeting distributed edge deployments like retail outlets and branch offices. Its strategic focus on edge deployments optimizes performance and resource utilization by minimizing hardware abstractions and leveraging Linux fundamentals.

DENT fosters an open ecosystem, encouraging collaboration among stakeholders, from end-users to hardware vendors. Standardizing interfaces with hardware components ensures compatibility across various hardware and use cases, facilitating seamless integration with third-party solutions.

While DENT initially targets edge deployments, its scalable architecture and commitment to innovation pave the way for expansion into other markets, including enterprises. With its optimized infrastructure, DENT aims to democratize networking, making it accessible and cost-effective for organizations of all sizes.

In conclusion, DENT represents a significant advancement in network operating systems, offering tailored solutions for edge deployments and beyond. Join us on this transformative journey towards a more connected future with DENT.

Follow us for more updates!

2023 OCP DENT Mini Summit Series Part 2: Introduction to DENT

By Blog, Community News

This blog post is the second in a series of 10 summarizing the sessions from the OCP DENT Mini Summit. Please see part one here: https://dent.dev/?p=928

The DENT community hosted a Mini Summit during the OCP Global Summit to gather industry leaders, engineers, developers, and stakeholders interested in DENT within the framework of the OCP.

The second portion of the 2023 OCP DENT Mini Summit was presented by Kevin Yao, Senior Director of Strategic Account at Micas Networks. Yao opened by discussing the practical applications of DENT from the perspective of a new project member. Then, Yao went on to outline DENT’s mission to create an ecosystem of contributors and users around a full-featured NOS and control plane that is natively supported by Linux and a hardware ecosystem enabling the transition to disaggregated networks.

Yao explained to attendees how DENT transcends traditional operating systems, presenting a holistic ecosystem comprising software, hardware, and testing tools. This comprehensive approach aims to offer seamless solutions across technological domains, from switch silicons to supporting infrastructure.

Central to DENT’s ethos is collaboration and inclusivity. Through partnerships with industry leaders and adherence to open-source principles, DENT aspires to foster a dynamic community where innovation flourishes.

Fueled by Linux-based software and boasting an array of hardware options, DENT promises unparalleled flexibility and scalability. Whether streamlining integration processes or optimizing costs, DENT is positioned to meet diverse needs effectively.

DENT’s community-driven nature features robust support from the Linux community and active engagement from stakeholders. DENT emerges not merely as a project, but as a movement toward a more collaborative and innovative tech landscape.

Follow us for more updates!

2023 OCP DENT Mini Summit Part 1: Opening (Welcome and Vision of NOS)

By Blog, Community News

The Open Compute Project (OCP) Foundation is a growing, global community whose mission is to design, use, and enable mainstream delivery of the most efficient designs for scalable computing. OCP is rooted in the belief that openly sharing ideas, specifications, and other intellectual property is the key to maximizing innovation and reducing complexity in tech components. 

At the 2023 OCP Global Summit held in San Jose, CA between October 17-19, 2023, industry leaders, researchers, and pioneers from the open community engaged in dialogues, workshops, and interactive sessions aimed to increase understanding of project progress and foreseeable challenges. The Global Summit is the largest of two OCP Summits held each year. 

The DENT community hosted a Mini Summit during the OCP Global Summit to gather industry leaders, engineers, developers, and stakeholders interested in DENT within the framework of the OCP. The summit provided a platform for sharing insights, advancements, and best practices related to DENT and its integration within OCP’s ecosystem. It focused on discussing DENT’s architecture, deployment strategies, use cases, and community engagement.

The first presenter was the Linux Foundation’s Arpit Joshipura, GM and SVP of Networking and Edge IoT and Domain AI. Joshipura began DENT’s Mini Summit by providing key insights into the evolving landscape of Network Operating Systems (NOS) through the lens of DENT. Joshipura highlighted opportunities for deployment across various projects, extending beyond retail into diverse verticals. 

Addressing the historical fragmentation of NOS, Joshipura underscored recent harmonization efforts, notably with projects like DENT and Sonic aligning with industry specs. The goal remains clear: to foster interoperability and prevent hardware respinning.

Joshipura outlined significant progress in DENT’s architecture and deployment, particularly in retail and e-commerce sectors. Notably, community contributions have shown steady growth, with commits and contributors up by 15-25% in the past year. With commitments and contributions on the rise, the future of NOS is promising, driven by collaboration and innovation.

Concluding with an invitation to the 2024 ONE Summit taking place in San Jose, CA from April 29–May 1, Joshipura urged participation from networking professionals. ONE Summit promises to remain a pivotal platform for industry dialogue and collaboration.

Follow us for more updates!

Amazon

DENT Member Spotlight: AWS

By Blog

This is the first in a new series of posts highlighting members of the DENT Project. We begin the series with a spotlight on Amazon Web Services (AWS), as explained by AWS Senior Product Manager Vincent Tong.

Please tell us a little about your organization:
We’re a team in AWS that is responsible for delivering networking services for both internal and external customers. The network services include LAN, Wi-Fi and WAN installation, provisioning, monitoring and remediation.

Why is your organization adopting a Network Operating System (NOS)?
We needed a NOS that we could develop, fix bugs and roll out new releases on for the 48x1G switches, that are part of the Just Walk Out solution. AWS had previously used third party NOS but had issues with the availability and timing of new releases to deliver new features or fix bugs.

Why did you join DENT, and what impact do you think DENT has on Network Operating Systems?
AWS joined DENT because there were no viable open source NOS for Enterprise applications at that time. Today, AWS is deploying DENT at scale in switches, wireless base stations, and entry/exit gates.

What do you see as the top benefits of being part of the DENT community?
Being part of the DENT community has allowed AWS to collaborate with leading silicon vendors, original device manufacturers, software developers, and test vendors to create an ecosystem for Enterprise Edge applications.

What sort of contributions has your team made (or plans to make) to the DENT community?
AWS has taken leadership positions in the DENT Board of Directors, Technical Steering Committee (TSC) and Marketing Committee. In 2023, AWS obtained speaking slots in several conferences in US, Canada and Europe to promote DENT. In addition, AWS has upstreamed test cases and POE code for dentOS.

What sets DENT apart from other industry alliances?
DENT is different from other open source NOS like SONiC because it is focused on Linux. Developers will be able to use the same Linux tools that they normally use to develop and deploy dentOS.

How will DENT help your business?
DENT has helped AWS move quickly to develop new features, fix bugs and roll out new releases with the support of other DENT members. The addition of SAI support within dentOS will allow AWS to widen the range of hardware platforms that can use dentOS.

What advice would you give to someone considering joining DENT?
Participate in the different DENT user group forums (https://lists.dent.dev/g/main) like the TSC, Features working group or Marketing working group to check out DENT at no cost. This will allow you to quickly make an evaluation and decide if DENT is right for you.

 

DentOS 3.0 Unveiled: Open Source NOS Powering Distributed Enterprise Edge Brings Network Management, Scalability, and Security via New  Rapid Release Cycle

By Announcements
  • Newest version of DENT, an open source Network Operating System under the Linux Foundation, enables users to securely manage and operate their distributed enterprise edge network deployments 
  • Release implements a new LTS kernel, following kernel upstream best practices
  • DENT 3.0 ushers in the technical community’s move to a rapid innovation/release cycle, enabling earlier access to requested features in a modern DevOps world that includes 802.1x, QoS, IGMP Snooping, and Egress Policing

SAN FRANCISCO, 19 April 2023The DENT project, an open source network operating system utilizing the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux based projects, today announced the launch of DentOS 3.0, code-named “Cynthia,” a cutting-edge network operating system (NOS) that’s now moved to a more rapid release cycle.  This innovative operating system provides a flexible and customizable platform for network administrators to manage their networks, while also leveraging the power of open source technologies.

DENT provides access to open source- based switches at a lower cost and with more flexibility compared to proprietary switches with locked ecosystems. Network wiring closets in many facilities–including retail stores, warehousing, remote locations, enterprises, and small and mid-sized businesses–are often small, requiring a compact solution for network management. Additionally, staff expertise may be limited, and branch-office switches from leading suppliers can require costly contracts. DENT can be easily deployed on white-box hardware in small spaces, providing an efficient and cost-effective solution for network management. As a result, DENT deployment can significantly enhance network management in a wide range of environments, providing greater efficiency, reliability, and scalability.

DENT 3.0 builds on a solid foundation of fundamental OS features for networking, three years in the making, that include SwitchDev, POE+ and others. 

Specific feature updates in 3.0 include:

  • Traffic Control (TC) Persistence
    • Enables traffic control commands and configuration data across boots simplifies configuration and set up
  • New Kernel 5.15(LTS)
    • Increased security, management with new Kernel software
  • Rapid DevOps, providing early access to:
    •  IEEE 802.1x :security/patches in kernel and Switchdev
    •  QoS: (Mgmt): enables prioritization and optimization of bandwidth usage in remote locations
    • IPv6: for continued expansion and support of more IOT Devices 
    • IGMP Snooping: no router required at enterprise location 
  • Egress Policer

DENT in Deployment

DentOS enables Amazon’s Just Walk Out Technology to connect and manage thousands of devices like cameras, sensors, entry and exit gates, and access points on the network edge. For more information, please see this presentation from ONE Summit 2022, as well as content from the latest DENT Mini-Summit, co-located at ONE Summit.  

“We are pleased to leverage the DENT open-source platforms to power networking infrastructure to enable customers to skip check-out lines with our Just Walk Out Technology,” said Jason Long, head of Networking for Amazon Physical Retail Technology and chairman of the DENT Board. “DENT enabled us to reduce our networking costs by giving us access to open-source switches that allowed Amazon to efficiently deploy new hardware and software whenever we need instead of waiting for a bug fix from a third-party vendor”.

“Adoption and deployment by the world’s largest e-commerce leader with its Just Walk Out Technology is a shining example of the power of open source,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, the Linux Foundation. “In just three years, the DENT community created a working platform for disaggregated networks to power multiple device locations at the edge, now used by top retailers to streamline operations. This undertaking is only possible by the power of collaborative open source development.”   

Amazon joins Delta, Edgecore Networks, and Marvell as premiere members of DENT, which is only enabled by important contributions from across the community and wider ecosystem.

To download and start testing DENT 3.0 today, visit: https://github.com/dentproject/dentOS 

To join DENT technical working groups, visit:  https://lists.dent.dev/g/tsc/calendar

Ecosystem Support for DentOS 3.0:

“With its cost-effective cloud managed networking products, Quantum Networks has established itself as a reliable community partner, especially in emerging markets,” said Mukesh Majithia, director (Technical), Quantum Networks, a user of DENT Project. “Our collaboration with the DENT community and Sartura is intended to build a roadmap for market-required features. Being able to provide a quality service to our customers through the use of Open Source technologies is what sets us apart from traditional vendors at a lower price.”

“Having a reliable verification process is paramount in networking, and Delta is proud to support DENT in their vision for OS verification. Investing in open-source hardware is an investment in the industry’s community, and we believe there will be numerous developments in the coming years that push the entire industry forward,” said Charlie Wu, VP of Data Center RBU, Delta Electronics.

“As a key contributing company to the DENT test working group, it is our pleasure to see another successful DENT 3.0 release and the platform becoming a robust network operating system with Amazon’s successful deployment in Just Walk Out Technology,” said Dean Lee, senior director, Cloud Solution Team at Keysight Technologies. “With the growing test coverage in Keysight’s system integration test lab, we are confident that onboarding new users will accelerate resulting in more successful DENT deployments in 2023.”

“By concentrating on switchdev and mainline Linux kernel support, DENT has laid a solid basis for the future of Linux-powered networking. There is no doubt that Linux-based ecosystems are the best choice for any buyer,” said Luka Perkov, CEO, Sartura. “Our efforts in the Upstream Working Group will be aimed at lowering the gap between SAI and mainline Linux as the DENT ecosystem continues to evolve.”

“We are pleased to be part of DENT’s third major release, bringing even more features that enable more streamlined operations across multiple devices at the edge,” said Larry Ho, VP of Software Engineering at Edgecore. “DENT has established a strong foundational platform for Linux and open source based network operations that is only possible via collaborative development.” 

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world’s top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and industry adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

# # #

Media Contact
Jill Lovato
The Linux Foundation
jlovato@linuxfoundation.org 

DENT Network Operating System Collaborates with OCP to Integrate Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI)

By Announcements, News
  • Harmonizing Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) with the DENT Network Operating System enables hardware and silicon vendors to speed up innovation and interoperability
  • Further collaboration between the Linux Foundation and the Open Compute Project is a testament to the robust partnership across open source software and hardware
  • Along with the existing and planned DENT platforms, adoption of SAI will enable support for the AS4610, AS7326 and similar OCP-recognized switch platforms

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Open Compute Regional Summit – April 19, 2023The Linux Foundation (LF), the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the incorporation of the Open Compute Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) into the open source DENT Network Operating System (NOS) project. This move marks a milestone in the collaboration between the Linux Foundation and the  Open Compute Project (OCP), aimed at benefiting the entire open-source community by providing a unified and standardized approach to networking across hardware and software.

The DENT project, a Linux-based network operating system (NOS), has been designed to empower disaggregated networking solutions for enterprises and data centers. By incorporating OCP’s SAI, an open-source Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for network switches, DENT has taken a significant step forward in enabling seamless support for a wide range of Ethernet switch ASICs, thereby expanding its compatibility and fostering greater innovation in the networking space.

Why Incorporate SAI into DENT

The decision to integrate SAI into the DENT NOS was driven by the need to widen standardized interfaces for programming network switch ASICs, enabling hardware vendors to develop and maintain their device drivers independently from the Linux kernel. SAI offers several advantages:

  • Hardware Abstraction: SAI provides a hardware-agnostic API, enabling developers to work on a consistent interface across different switch ASICs, thus reducing development time and effort.
  • Vendor Independence: By separating the switch ASIC drivers from the Linux kernel, SAI enables hardware vendors to maintain their drivers independently, ensuring timely updates and support for the latest hardware features.
  • Ecosystem Support: SAI is backed by a thriving community of developers and vendors, ensuring continuous improvements and ongoing support for new features and hardware platforms.

Collaboration Between the Linux Foundation and OCP

The collaboration between the Linux Foundation and OCP is a testament to the power of open-source collaboration for hardware software co-design. By combining efforts, the organizations aim to:

  • Drive Innovation: By integrating SAI into the DENT NOS, both organizations can leverage their respective strengths to foster innovation in the networking space.
  • Expand Compatibility: With the support of SAI, DENT can now cater to a broader range of network switch hardware, enhancing its adoption and utility.
  • Strengthen Open-Source Networking: By collaborating, the Linux Foundation and OCP can work together to develop open-source solutions that address real-world networking challenges, thus promoting the growth and sustainability of open-source networking.

The Linux Foundation and OCP are committed to empowering the open-source community by delivering cutting-edge technologies and fostering innovation. The integration of SAI into the DENT project is just the beginning of a fruitful partnership that promises to revolutionize the world of networking.

Industry Support

Linux Foundation

“We are excited that Network Operating Systems have evolved significantly from Data Centers to Enterprise Edge,” said Arpit Johipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, the Linux Foundation. “Harmonizing at the lower layers provides alignment for the entire ecosystem across silicon, hardware, software and more. We’re eager to see what innovations arise from the extended collaboration.” 

Open Compute Project

“Working closely with the Linux Foundation and the extended open ecosystem to integrate SAI across hardware and software is key to enabling faster and more efficient innovation,” said Bijan Nowroozi, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) for the Open Compute Foundation. “Furthering our collaboration with the LF around the  DENT NOS further enables industry-standardization for more agile and scalable solutions.”

Edgecore

“We are glad to see the Linux Foundation collaborating with OCP to help grow the marketplace for DENT switch platforms. Edgecore Networks will be able to promote the open platforms that we have contributed to OCP to a wider market.” said name, title, Edgecore Networks.

Delta Electronics

“This is an exciting development for the industry because enterprise edge customers using DENT now have access to the same platforms that are deployed on a large scale in data centers to gain cost savings,” said Charlie Wu, VP of Data Center RBU, Delta Electronics. “Creating an open source community benefits the entire ecosystem of solutions for both providers and users, and Delta is proud to continue supporting DENT and SAI as we move towards a more collaborative market.”

Wistron 

“This is an exciting opportunity for the DENT ecosystem as developers and vendors have more options as they grow the ecosystem.” said name, title, Wistron. “DENT customers will be able to go to market quicker with the range of SAI platforms that Wistron has contributed to OCP.”

Keysight

“The adoption of SAI by the DENT project benefits the entire ecosystem, expanding the options available to platform developers and system integrators,” said Venkat Pullela, Chief of Technology, Networking at Keysight. “SAI strengthens DENT immediately with an existing and continually growing set of test cases, test frameworks and test equipment. Thanks to SAI, the validation of ASIC performance can be completed much earlier in the cycle before the full NOS stack is available. Keysight is happy to be a part of the DENT community and provide validation tools for new platform onboarding and system verification.”

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world’s top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and industry adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

About the Open Compute Project Foundation

At the core of the Open Compute Project (OCP) is its Community of hyperscale data center operators, joined by telecom and colocation providers and enterprise IT users, working with vendors to develop open innovations that when embedded in products are deployed from the cloud to the edge. The OCP Foundation is responsible for fostering and serving the OCP Community to meet the market and shape the future, taking hyperscale led innovations to everyone. Meeting the market is accomplished through open designs and best practices, and with data center facility and IT equipment embedding OCP Community-developed innovations for efficiency, at-scale operations and sustainability. Shaping the future includes investing in strategic initiatives that prepare the IT ecosystem for major changes, such as AI & ML, optics, advanced cooling techniques, and composable silicon. Learn more at www.opencompute.org.

# # #

Media Contact
Jill Lovato
The Linux Foundation
jlovato@linuxfoundation.org 

DENT Mini-Summit Session Videos Now Available!

By Blog

The DENT community held its first Mini-Summit, “NOS for the Distributed Edge: A Mini-Summit on DENT Ecosystem,” in November 2022 alongside ONE Summit. The mini-summit featured 7 session presentations with almost 70 attendees (both in-person and virtually).

Topics included:

  • DENT’s Features: Past, Present, and Future
  • DENT and Its Vision
  • DENT Deployment
  • DENT Adoption – a Panel
  • DENT’s Testing Infrastructure
  • DENT Technical Overview
  • DENT and Open Source Communities

 

Session videos are now available for on-demand viewing, here.

Thanks to all who participated to make this a great event, from speakers, to attendees, to staff and those watching the sessions on-demand!

DENT, the Open Source Network Operating System for Distributed Edge, Now Powers AWS Just Walk Out Technology

By Announcements, Blog, News
  • Amazon deploys open source NOS to automate more efficient customer experience with Just Walk Out technology
  • Large-scale deployment by global enterprise commerce leader signals new level of maturity for open source Networking Operating System 
  • Growing ecosystem of members & collaborators across enterprises, silicon vendors, ODMs, OEMs, and System Integrators, demonstrates deployment readiness for disaggregated hardware  

The DENT Project, an open source ecosystem utilizing the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux based projects, announced member company Amazon has deployed the DENT operating system (dentOS) as part of its Just Walk Out Technology in third party customer stores worldwide to streamline the customer experience and scale in-store operations. 

The need for retailers to innovate quickly in the pandemic era depends highly on the network to power the in-store components that enable more seamless and touchless experiences, like grab-and-go and electronic shelf labels. The number of devices, such as IP cameras and sensors, needed to enable these features require massive, edge switching and processing. Disaggregated hardware and open-source collaboration is needed to scale and accelerate standardization at the network edge.

DENT provides access to open source based switches at a lower cost and more flexibility compared to proprietary switches with locked ecosystems. DentOS enables the Just Walk Out Technology to connect and manage thousands of devices like cameras, sensors, entry and exit gates, and access points on the network edge.

“Adoption and deployment by the world’s largest e-commerce leader with its Just Walk Out Technology is a shining example of the power of open source,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, the Linux Foundation. “In just three years, the DENT community created a working platform for disaggregated networks to power multiple device locations at the edge, now used by top retail giants to streamline operations. This undertaking is only possible by the power of collaborative open source development.”   

“We are pleased to leverage the DENT open-source platforms to power networking infrastructure to enable customers to skip check-out lines with our Just Walk Out Technology,” said Jason Long, Head of Networking for Amazon Physical Retail Technology and Chairman of the DENT Board. “DENT enabled us to reduce our networking costs by giving us access to open-source switches that allowed Amazon to efficiently deploy new hardware and software whenever we need instead of waiting for a bug fix from a third-party vendor”.

“With its cost-effective cloud managed networking products, Quantum Networks has established itself as a reliable partner, especially in emerging markets,” said Mukesh Majithia, Director (Technical), Quantum Networks. “Our collaboration with the DENT community and Sartura is intended to build a roadmap for market-required features. Being able to provide a better service to our customers through the use of Open Source technologies is what sets us apart from traditional vendors at a lower price.”

DENT at ONE Summit

The announcement was shared during the ONE Summit opening keynote address in Seattle, Wash. ONE Summit is the one  industry event that brings together decision makers and implementers for two days of in-depth presentations and interactive conversations around 5G, Access, Edge, Telco, Cloud, Enterprise Networking, and more open source technology developments. 

The DENT community also hosted a collocated workshop to provide details on the NOS’ architecture, use in Distributed Edge scenarios, compatible hardware and how DENT impacts and contributes to the upstream Linux kernel. 

More information about DENT is available at https://dent.dev/

Ecosystem Support:

Babtel

“It is imperative that we provide reliable, private, and secure communications to US soldiers and military contractors overseas. Achieving our mission requires agility and resilience.” said Peter Catranis, CTO, Babtel. “With our joint efforts with Sartura, we have been able to leverage leading Open Source software extensively. Today these technologies are being adopted by a variety of industries, which of course benefits everyone.”

Keysight

“Keysight has been involved with DENT since its inception because we are eager to drive the success and adoption of open-source communities,” said Dean Lee, Senior Director, Cloud Solution Unit, Keysight. “We are hosting the community system integration lab which provides multi-vendor interoperability testing to make DENT robust and drive customer POCs successfully. We are delighted to see the fruits of these labors come to fruition through Amazon’s pioneering deployment of DENT components in its retail stores.”

TELUS

“Our collaboration with Sartura around DENT, switchdev, and mainline Linux simplifies our support model for data centers and central offices,” said Paul Arola, Senior Design Specialist, TELUS. “With no reliance on proprietary SDK’s, we can rapidly deploy new software releases, and security patches with an agility that is not possible with traditional switch NOS”.

Sartura

“Sartura is one of the key organizations which has consistently delivered on the promise of a modern disaggregated network infrastructure. By providing professional services, our team empowers our partners and customers to utilize state-of-the-art open source networking technologies,” said Luka Perkov, CEO, Sartura. “We have been devoted to making Linux-based networking technologies more accessible to the broad market, and the market is responding favorably. Those that place a high importance on security, flexibility, and openness have found our efforts particularly appealing. As we move forward, our activities will be directed towards further developing the ecosystem.”

Quantum Networks

“With its cost-effective cloud managed networking products, Quantum Networks has established itself as a reliable partner, especially in emerging markets,” said Mukesh Majithia, Director (Technical), Quantum Networks. “Our collaboration with the DENT community and Sartura is intended to build a roadmap for market-required features. Being able to provide a better service to our customers through the use of Open Source technologies is what sets us apart from traditional vendors at a lower price.”

The Register: Network operating system Dent 2.0 targets smaller firms

By Community News

The Dent Project has released version 2.0 of its open source network operating system, carving out features designed to make it easier for small or mid-sized enterprises to support edge deployments.

Dent OS is a Linux Foundation project that provides a platform for disaggregated network switches running on white-box hardware, and is based on the Linux kernel and open-source projects such as Switchdev. The first release was codenamed “Arthur”, after Arthur Dent of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and this latest release was codenamed “Beeblebrox”.

2.0 adds IPv6 and Network Address Translation (NAT) support for scalability and also to support a broader community of enterprise customers. Also new is Power over Ethernet (PoE) control to allow remote switching and monitoring in edge deployments. Another addition is traffic policing measures, such as rate limiting to protect against broadcast storms and help alleviate attacks that attempt to overwhelm key infrastructure.

According to the Dent Project, the new features are intended to allow smaller enterprises to take advantage of disaggregated switches as well as enable use cases beyond the datacenter.

Read the full article at: https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/08/dent_os_2/