[PLUG] carrier-grade Linux, linux on high-end networking hardware

Charlie Schluting charlie at schluting.com
Wed Jan 18 21:38:45 UTC 2006


Charlie Schluting wrote:
> Carla Schroder wrote:
> 
>>I was looking at some articles on "Carrier Grade Linux", and wondering if 
>>anyone has rolled-their-own super-duper high-speed router or other networking 
>>widget? Is there bare hardware available somewheres, so you can cobble up 
>>your own homegrown equivalent to a high-end Cisco router, for example?
>>
>>Or, has anyone taken a commercial gadget like Cisco, maybe got a great deal on 
>>Ebay, and put Linux on it? 
>>
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, you'll never get close to cisco-grade. Linux PCs don't have
> TCAMs, and it's simply impossible to forward and lookup stuff in software
> in the same amount of time that hardware can do it.
> 
> Juniper routers use JunOS, which is based on FreeBSD.. but that's not
> really used for forwarding, it's still all in hardware.
> 
> -Charlie

Replying to myself..
But you were really asking about putting linux on such hardware. eep. I
read too fast :)



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