DENT 3.0, named Cynthia was released in April 2023. One of the promises of Cynthia was rapid release cycles, and DENT has kept up its promise with 2 minor releases DENT 3.1 and DENT 3.2. Check out the features that are added to DENT in these minor releases. To know more about these, join us at the DENT mini-summit, a co-located event at the OCP Global Summit 2023.
Are you interested in knowing how apt SONiC and DentOS are for the Enterprise networking scenarios? Check out this whitepaper from our member PLVision HERE.
The DENT project has been promoting the use of an Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) within Linux-based networking products. Recently, a number of useful features have been added to the upstream Linux kernel to help with the adoption of this environment. Deep dive into the story behind these contributions.
ONIE hardware requirements
The project has little-to-no hardware limitation, at least regarding the underlying platform. Manufacturers can use almost any common architecture supported by the Linux kernel. One requirement however, is to include a non-volatile storage, whatever its type, to store ONIE specific product data. The range of information the manufacturer can provide is wide, ranging from the serial number of the device to the MAC addresses for the network interfaces, along with various version numbers, manufacturing date and place, as well as manufacturer specific information.
To be really useful, this data must be parsable in a generic way. This is the purpose of ONIE’s TlVInfo format. The format is named after the data layout within the storage: TLV or Type Length and Value fields. Basically, we expect each entry to be made of an encoded value giving the type of field, concatenated with the size of the payload and the data itself.
All TLV entries follow each other in a table which shall not exceed 2048 bytes. The ONIE format specifies a number of mandatory fields which define the overall structure, such as an easy to spot 8-bytes ID (“TlvInfo”), a version number for the entire table, its length, and at the end, a CRC-32 to check data integrity. In between, all possible fields are listed here, aside from vendor-specific extensions of course:
https://opencomputeproject.github.io/onie/design-spec/hw_requirements.html#type-code-values
Such information can be used by the system administrators to know the origin of the product, its serial number, etc. But most importantly, one could expect the Linux kernel drivers to extract information from this table in order to configure the hardware. On network switches, a common requirement is to use a consistent and unique range of MAC addresses for the network interfaces, which could typically be specified in the ONIE TlvInfo table. This however requires a good integration in the system, deeper than just offering access to the raw content of the storage medium.
The NVMEM subsystem
Due to too much code duplication between various misc/ EEPROM drivers, and seeing the growing need for a standard consumer API to access their content, an NVMEM framework was contributed to the Linux kernel in 2015. Besides the needed factorization between all drivers, it introduced a standard device-tree API to both expose small amounts of data through “NVMEM cells”, as well as a consumer API which can be used by device drivers to retrieve the content of these cells. Over the years, the NVMEM subsystem was extended to support any kind of storage like NAND or SPI-NOR flashes. As an example of use, the NVMEM abstraction quickly became the right way to expose MAC addresses to network controller drivers. ONIE TlvInfo tables can be stored in almost any kind of non-volatile storage medium and need to expose their content to drivers, making the fit with the NVMEM subsystem quite obvious. Unfortunately, the subsystem had to evolve a little bit in order to allow this synergy.
Until recently, the framework only supported static device-tree bindings, only describing the precise location of each piece of data inside the storage. Said otherwise, one would need to know precisely the location and size of each field in advance, which does not match ONIE’s TlvInfo concept where flexibility is key. The DENT project hence decided to fund additional kernel development in order to be able to support these tables.
The NVMEM layout interface and the ONIE layout driver
The entire design of the NVMEM subsystem predating 2015, no support whatsoever for any advanced parsing mechanism was considered. The only binding existing was using fixed offsets and sizes and would definitely not fit the ONIE TlvInfo purpose. Instead, such a design would need to target a storage area from which useful information could be extracted, and tell the Linux kernel what logic to follow in order to parse its content and expose the cells.
Supporting such a new logic in the NVMEM subsystem became the target and in order to tackle this, the DENT project contracted Bootlin, an engineering company which made Linux kernel developments and upstreaming its expertise. As the company was already deeply involved in the kernel community, Miquèl Raynal, who drove these developments, quickly found the most relevant and hopefully efficient approach to address the DENT’s needs. Indeed, sharing with the community has been key in this quest, as Michael Walle, an active member of the community, had already tried to do something similar. His first approach, while technically relevant, unfortunately did not convince the maintainers. Exchanging with Michael and building a common solution to overcome the known difficulties lead to a satisfying cooperation which ended into a common series which, after several additional tries, would become the adopted solution. Despite having received early validation from many members of the community as there were actual expectations regarding the whole NVMEM layout logic, the upstreaming process took time, meticulous testing and many reviews, further certifying the commitment of the DENT project to act as a leader and a contributor of the Linux kernel community.
The final proposal added a truly new parser alongside the fixed cells parser, named “NVMEM layouts”. The needed infrastructure would rely on an underlying driver to perform the parsing, the “layout driver”, and would expose NVMEM cells based on what has been dynamically discovered. The exact layout in the storage medium is still unknown when the platform starts, but still, system administrators can describe the cells they need in the NVMEM device-tree node and still point to them from the consumer devices, waiting for them at run-time to be filled. Within this new scope, the DENT project additionally funded the writing of an ONIE layout driver to parse the TlvInfo table, while Walle complemented the work with an SL28 VPD layout driver, exposing MAC addresses with the same constraint as ONIE tables. Both layout drivers would dynamically extract data from the underlying devices following their own rules and expose them through the generic NVMEM abstraction.
Since the initial merge, an additional layout driver has been proposed, showing even more interest for this work beyond the single use of the layouts for the ONIE purpose, further validating the relevance of this contribution pushed by the DENT project.
ONIE TlvInfo tables support being upstream since version 6.4 of the Linux kernel, hopes are to see all userspace parsers disappear in favor of this united solution, like the common Marvell mvpp2 network controller driver which is now capable of getting its MAC addresses automatically. We all hope that the lessons learned with this project as well as the positive outcome of this venture laid solid foundations for further upstream contributions, working with all people involved in this powerful community.
- 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 2023 —The 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.
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Media Contact
Jill Lovato
The Linux Foundation
jlovato@linuxfoundation.org
- 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, 2023 – The 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
- 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.”
Newest version of DENT, a Linux Foundation project, adds secure scaling, PoE control, and traffic policing, being deployed in retail environments in North America and Asia markets
Available for immediate download and testing; new Getting Started documentation available, supported hardware platforms list expanded
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 – The DENT Project, an open source network operating system utilizing the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux based projects, today announced DENT 2.0 is available for immediate download. The “Beeblebrox” release adds key features utilized by distributed enterprises in retail and remote facilities, providing a secure and scalable Linux-based Network Operating System (NOS) for disaggregated switches adaptable to edge deployment. DENT provides a smaller, more lightweight NOS for use at the small, remote edges of enterprise networks.
DENT 2.0 adds secure scaling with Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and Network Address Translation (NAT) to support a broader community of enterprise customers. It also adds Power over Ethernet (PoE) control to allow remote switching, monitoring, and shutting down. Connectivity of IoT, Point of Sale (POS), and other devices is highly valuable to retail storefronts, early adopters of DENT. DENT 2.0 also adds traffic policing, helping mitigate attack situations that overload the CPU.
“DENT has made great strides this past year and with its edge and native Linux approach, with a rich feature set for distributed enterprises like retail or remote facilities. DENT continues to expand into new use cases and welcomes community input with an open technical community, under the Linux Foundation,” said Arpit Joshipura, GM of Networking & Edge at The Linux Foundation.
DENT 2.0 Main Features to enable secure and scalable development
- Secure scaling with IPv6 and NAT to appeal to a broader community of SME customers
- PoE control to allow remote switching, monitoring, and shutting down
- Rate limiting to protect against broadcast storms, creating a stronger OS under erroneous BUM (Broadcast, Unicast, Multicast) traffic
DENT goes beyond the data center to enable enterprises to transition to disaggregated network switches and use cases available with the distributed enterprise and edge networking. The open source NOS provides key technology leverage in retail, a sector that is leading innovation in digital transformation. The Amazon public showcase of DENT hardware at re:Invent in November 2021 reached 20,000+ attendees.
“This new release of DENT 2.0 adds critical updates focused on smaller enterprise needs. This was the goal of DENT all along, and I would like to thank our members and the wider community for this broad, concerted effort to move DENT significantly forward,” said Steven Noble, DENT Technical Steering Committee Chair. “It’s not easy building a flexible, accessible network OS, and this is why I’m proud of all the effort and coordination by so many talented individuals. If you are looking for an open source disaggregated network OS, now is great timing for looking at DENT.”
Retail stores, warehousing, remote locations, enterprise, and Small and Mid-Size Enterprises are all ideal environments for DENT deployment. Wiring closets in many facilities are small. Staff expertise may be limited, and branch-office switches from leading suppliers can require costly contracts. DENT is easily deployed on white-box hardware in small spaces. It can be set up to support dozens of wireless access points and IoT sensors, creating a manageable network to track inventory, monitor shelf real estate, scan customer activity, and perform automated checkouts.
DENT premier members include Amazon, Delta Electronics Inc, Edgecore Networks, and Marvell. DENT would also like to acknowledge important contributions from NVIDIA, Keysight Technologies, and Sartura.
To download and start testing DENT 2.0 today: https://github.com/dentproject/dentOS
To join DENT technical working groups: https://lists.dent.dev/g/tsc/calendar
Supporting Quotes
“Delta has built complete white box networking platforms based on DENT technology, helping drive a disaggregation model in edge that offers cost and flexibility benefits to customers looking for OEM solutions,” said Charlie Wu, Vice President, Solution Center at Delta Networks. “The deployment of our 1G and 10G Ethernet switch boxes with Marvell’s Prestera devices and the DENT OS in real world applications demonstrates the power of open source to accelerate technology innovation in networking.”
“Edgecore Networks, as the premier member of DENT, is pleased to see the groundbreaking second release of DENT 2.0, enabling DENT community members to use the DENT’s simplified abstracts, APIs, drivers, to lessen development and deployment overhead,” said Taskin Ucpinar, Senior Director of SW Development at Edgecore Networks. “This innovative product development approach enables the community to build robust solutions with minimal effort and immediately help System Integrators deploy a networking solution to remote campuses and retail stores.”
“As the chairing company for DENT Test Working Group, Keysight has partnered with the open-source community to host the system integration test bed in Keysight labs,” said Dean Lee, Senior Director Cloud Solution Team at Keysight Technologies. “Being a neutral test vendor, we have worked with the community to harden the DENT NOS in multi-vendor interoperability, performance and resiliency. We are delighted to contribute to the success and wide adoption of DENT.
“Marvell is accelerating the build-out of Ethernet switching infrastructure in emerging edge and borderless enterprise applications, and DENT is a key component to our offerings,” said Guy Azrad, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Switch Business Unit at Marvell. “With DENT incorporated on our Prestera® switch platforms, we are currently enabling retailers to transform physical stores to smart retail connected environments that benefit consumers through easy and efficient in-store experiences.”
Additional DENT Resources
- Main repo: https://github.com/dentproject/dentOS
- Supported Hardware (DNI, Edge-core, WNC platforms): https://dent.dev/dentos/
- Getting Started Guide: https://github.com/dentproject/dentOS/wiki
- Video demo: https://youtu.be/ZGstgS9d4p0
- DENT Market Leadership Brief: https://dent.dev (email registration required)
About the Linux Foundation
Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation’s projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation’s methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.
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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.
· Dent issues “Arthur”, its First Code Release that Delivers an Open, Simplified Networking Operating System for next-generation retail and campus networks
· Linux Foundation announces inaugural Dent general members committed to delivering enterprise-grade, disaggregated networks through an open ecosystem
San Francisco, December 17, 2020 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced Arthur — the first code release of Dent, a project to enable the creation of a Network Operating System (NOS) for Disaggregated Network Switches in campus and remote enterprise locations. Since its December 2019 launch, several companies have joined DENT as general members, including Innovium, Arcadyan, Aviz Networks, and Alpha Networks who are joined by Dent premier members Amazon, Delta Electronics Inc, Marvell, NVIDIA, Edgecore Networks, and Wistron NeWeb (WNC).
The Arthur release – aptly named after Arthur Dent, the protagonist character of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy– uses the recently released Linux 5.6 Kernel and leverages SwitchDev to simplify integrations, eliminate complex abstractions and SDK change management, and support existing Linux tool chains. In addition to providing the industry’s widest range of hardware options, the Arthur release includes over 25 key features to enable enterprise infrastructure teams to safely transition to disaggregated networks.
“With the Arthur release, we’re witnessing the makings of an open network operating system, control plane and management plane that will transform how enterprises address their distributed edge challenges,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, at The Linux Foundation. “The DENT community has grown quickly and executed on this first major code release at a time when the entire industry is rethinking the future of retail and campus environments.”
The networking industry is moving away from customized, proprietary solutions for telecom, cloud and enterprise data center markets in favor of open standards. However, these open advancements have failed to meet the specific needs of distributed enterprise edge networking, such as a simplified networking OS stack that is low cost and Linux-based. DENT enables an open community to build this solution without complicated abstractions. It uses the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux-based projects to allow developers to treat networking ASICs and silicon like any other hardware. This simple disaggregated Linux/SwitchDev-based switch ultimately simplifies integration across the ecosystem and encourages application developers to adopt this new standard.
For more information, please visit dent.dev
Premier Member Quotes
“Open networking is the future, and Delta is proud to be a part of the momentum with the Dent project,” said Honda Wu, vice president of Solutions and Open Source at Delta. “Our goal is to support the initial users of Dent with our deep knowledge and expertise in networking.”
“As a leading provider of open networking solutions for data centers and enterprises, Edgecore is pleased to see the release of dentOS for next-generation retail and campus networks through the open community ecosystem. Disaggregated hardware and open source enables more enterprise and campus network customers to enjoy the benefits of open networking.” Michael Ward, vice president, Business Development, Software, Edgecore Networks.
“As a leading silicon provider in access networking, we remain committed to supporting industry standard application interfaces on our switch portfolio, allowing our customers to leverage the full network operating software ecosystem. Dent is a key component to our offerings,” said Gavin Cato, vice president of product management and marketing at Marvell. “The Arthur release is running on multiple 1G and 10G platform deployments incorporating Marvell’s feature-rich Prestera® Ethernet switches. This milestone demonstrates our commitment to bringing innovative solutions for automated and personalized experiences within the borderless enterprise across the smart edge and retail networking.”
“Dent’s Arthur release is a major step towards accelerating the open source networking revolution that NVIDIA has spearheaded for years,” said Amit Katz, vice president of Ethernet Switches at NVIDIA Networking. “Dent OS, an open source network operating system, leverages the wide Linux ecosystem to provide freedom of choice for modern data centers and edge deployments. By providing the industry leading ASIC and software innovations such as FRRouting, SwitchDev, and several other kernel networking contributions, we look forward to pushing the advancement of Dent.”
“The Arthur release incorporates intelligent wireless and wireline capabilities critical to any enterprise’s decision to embrace open software architecture,” said Larry Lee, executive vice president and general manager of the Networking Business Group at WNC. “We and other industry leaders supporting Dent worked closely together to tackle distributed switching for the initial retail use case.”
General Member Quotes
“With more than 17 years of Tier-1 Operators networking experience, Arcadyan is glad to join Dent and looking forward to making contributions to the software ecosystem,” said Jenny Yang, director at Arcadyan.
“Aviz Networks recently joined the Dent project and the Open Verification Lab (OVL) initiative in partnership with Keysight providing test expertise and a vendor neutral test facility for the Dent community. Aviz and Keysight will continue to lead the Dent test working group to ensure the highest quality for future Dent releases,” said the Aviz Networks team.
“As a leading provider of high performance and innovative switch silicon solutions that have been deployed at scale by multiple top customers, Innovium is a big champion for open, standards-based and disaggregated networking solutions. We are excited to be part of Linux Foundation’s open-source Dent project, which aims to deliver those benefits combined with a compelling TCO,” said Amit Sanyal, vice president of Marketing at Innovium.
About the Linux Foundation
Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation’s projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation’s methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.
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Linux Foundation open ecosystem enables low cost, standardized network solutions for campus and remote offices
San Francisco, Calif., Dec 13, 2019 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the launch of DENT, a project to enable the creation of Network OS for Disaggregated Network Switches in campus and remote enterprise locations. Under the Linux Foundation, DENT hopes to unify and grow the community of Silicon Vendors, Original Design Manufacturers (ODM), System Integrators (SI), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and end users to create an ecosystem of contributors around a full-featured network operating system. The initial use case will focus on the retail industry with premier members including Amazon, Cumulus Networks, Delta Electronics Inc, Marvell, Mellanox, Wistron NeWeb (WNC).
Networking solutions today are customized for each market and each use case, whether telecom, cloud or enterprise data center markets. They use proprietary silicon (ASIC) for packet processing and closed operating systems to enable workloads and applications on a network switch. Disaggregation is the new way for Open Networking and has been well accepted in data centers and telecom infrastructures. However, in enterprise networking– especially with distributed locations– nothing currently exists for Enterprise Edge properties that fall outside the traditional public cloud as they have very specific requirements to take advantage of disaggregation and the networking stack.
Remote campus locations and retail stores require a simple networking OS stack that is low cost and Linux-based. DENT is an Open Source project that will enable the community to build this solution without complicated abstractions. It uses the Linux Kernel, Switchdev and other Linux based projects to allow developers to treat networking ASICs and silicon like any other hardware. It simplifies abstractions, APIs, drivers and overheads that currently exist in these switches and on other open software.
With new technologies like 5G, Edge, IOT, AI, the next generation of remote buildings, retail stores and enterprises will have a lot of innovative workloads and services close to the applications and users. Having a simple disaggregated Linux/SwitchDev-based switch to power the remote offices will enable an ecosystem of apps that simplifies and standardizes integration across the ecosystem.
“The Linux Foundation will establish a neutral home from the start for DENT – vital for community infrastructure, meetings, events and collaborative discussions,” said Arpit Joshipura, GM of Networking at The Linux Foundation. ”Our goal is to create an open source, open participation technical community to benefit the ecosystem of solution providers and users focused on network operating system, control plane and management plane use cases across a variety of industry solutions.”
For more information, please visit www.dent.dev
Additional Quotes
“Delta is excited to participate in DENT and applauds the Linux Foundation for tackling the challenges in enterprise and campus networking,” said Honda Wu, Vice President of solutions and open source at Delta. “We stand ready to support with our deep knowledge and expertise in networking.”
“We are excited to have the Linux Foundation join with us to grow the community and accelerate this open source networking revolution,” said Amit Katz, vice president of Ethernet switches at Mellanox Technologies. “DENT OS is a native Linux Network Operating System which leverages switchdev, a Linux driver for Ethernet switch ASICs that Mellanox pioneered. Switchdev exposes the unique hardware innovations in the Mellanox Spectrum family of Ethernet Switches. DENT promotes network disaggregation, which benefits customers by eliminating vendor lock-in and allows hardware vendors to compete on a level playing field, where the very best switch ASICs and systems can win by delivering the highest ROI possible.”
“As a provider of intelligent wireless and wireline solutions, including those for distributed enterprise networking, Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC) fully embraces open software architecture,” said Larry Lee, EVP and GM of the Networking BG at WNC. “We are delighted to partner with the Linux Foundation and other industry leaders for this DENT project. WNC will first tackle distributed switching for the initial retail use case. We see great potential for this full-featured networking OS and look forward to working together in this partnership to improve network efficiency and provide conveniences for campuses and other remote distributed networking markets.”
“Open source is in Cumulus’ DNA and we’re excited to be the first software platform to contribute to DENT. We have a deep history with the Linux Foundation, from driving the FRRouting project, the most contributed open source routing project in the world, to our contributions to ONIE, EVPN, among others,” said Partho Mishra, President and Chief Product Officer at Cumulus Networks. “Cumulus is the natural choice to support DENT given our deep roots with networking contributions to the Linux kernel, our latest support for SwitchDev, and our expansive reach in the data center with more than 2,000 customers. We are looking forward to partnering on the DENT project to extend open source in kernel networking capabilities from the data center to the campus edge.”
“As a leading silicon provider in access networking and a firm believer in customer choice through disaggregated hardware and software, Marvell is excited to bring our technology leadership to Linux Foundation’s DENT project as a founding member,” said Gavin Cato, vice president of product management and marketing at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. “Marvell’s innovative switch portfolio lays the foundation for the transformation of access networks and the edge into an intelligent future while creating significant total cost of ownership advantages for customers. We are well positioned to be a game changer in retail networking and the smart edge, bringing a holistic approach to the ecosystem.”
About The Linux Foundation
Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation’s projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation’s methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.
The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.