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.
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.
“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.”
