The Open Switch project (OPX), was started by a group of networking hardware and software vendors, as an open source network operating system (NOS). OPX was an early adopter of emerging concepts and technologies: hardware and software disaggregation, use of open source, SDN, NFV and DevOps which disrupt how networks and networking equipment are built and operated. Designed using a standard Debian Linux distribution with an unmodified Linux kernel, OPX provides a programmable high-level abstraction of network components, such as switching ASICs (Network Processors) and optical transceivers. OPX’s goal is to provide a scalable, cloud-ready, agile solution, and a flexible infrastructure to enable both network operators and vendors to rapidly on-board open source Networking OS applications. Some of the major source code contributors and participants in OPX come from HPE, Dell Technologies, EdgeCore, Broadcom, SnapRoute, Cavium and more. OPX has been deployed commercially, and it has been in use by many small to large-sized service providers.
Currently, OPX is at Release 3.2, and provides a versatile SW platform which HW vendors can deploy on their equipment. SW vendors can use it to develop new protocols and applications, and service providers can deploy using a fully-automated DevOps process.
That said, OPX is now a mature solution, having achieved its original goals; namely, providing a solid platform for SW and HW vendors to deploy new technologies and experiment with new protocols and ASIC’s. OPX has proven the capabilities of open source disaggregated SW and HW. Future efforts may involve development of new applications using OPX, integration of new ASICs and peripherals, as well as deployment of OPX on a larger ecosystem of networking equipment.
OpenSwitch and the Linux Foundation would like to thank all members of the community who have contributed code and equipment, have made comments, and asked questions. The community is what has made this project possible.
Useful OPX Resources: