Reasons for "White Box Switch" to the large -scale data center: "Open Network" trends that are active in the white box [Part 1]

The "White Box" network switch and router are equipped with a network OS (NOS) that does not depend on the network device provided by a specific vendor.The advantage of introducing a white box network device is the flexibility that can change the network configuration quickly as needed.

There is a movement to introduce a white box network device, mainly large -scale cloud vendors, and is widely used at large -scale data centers of each company.Corporate IT departments should consider the introduction of white box network devices when launching a Green Field (newly established) data center or when upgrading networks in certain patterns.

The white box network device can be purchased as a ready -made product, a commercial switch or router.Such products are equipped with NOS that can control layer 2 and layer 3.NOS is obtained in advance on the switch or router, or purchases individually and installs it on the network device.The vendor of any network device in the white box is generally used with a Broadcom chip.For example, vendors such as ACCTON Technology, Celestica, EdgeCore Networks, FoxConn Technology Group, Lanner Electronics, and Quanta Computer provide white box network devices.

ホワイトボックスのネットワーク機器向けのNOSを供給するベンダーとしては、Arrcus、Kaloom、Cumulus Networks、Big Switch Networks、Pluribus Networks、SnapRouteなどがある。オープンソースまたは業界標準を目指すNOSとしては、Microsoftの「Software for Open Networking in the Cloud」（SONIC）、FacebookとOpen Compute Project（OCP：データセンターで利用するハードウェアのオープン化を目指した団体）が共同で開発した「Facebook Open Switching System」（開発コードネーム：FBOSS）、AT&Tの「Disaggregated Network Operating System」（DANOS）などがある。