IP Infusion Blog Series (#3 of 4) | Whispers of Change: OcNOS Arrives to Disrupt the Data Center Landscape
In the world of disaggregated networking, SONIC has become a buzzword. But before you jump headfirst into the DIY world of community SONIC, let’s take a moment to consider IP Infusion’s OcNOS, a production-ready alternative that offers a different value proposition.
Experience the Difference: From DIY to “Done-in-a-Box”
While community SONIC requires piecing together your own network ecosystem, OcNOS delivers a “one-stop shop” experience. It comes as a production-ready binary with a vast array of qualified platforms and optics, allowing you to deploy quickly and confidently. IP Infusion also offers bundle of OcNOS and qualified HW with a familiar networking equipment buying experience. No more struggling with control planes, integration, or hardware/optics qualification. It’s simply network, plug, and play.
Support: A Safety Net That’s Always There
When issues arise, having reliable support is crucial. OcNOS boasts 24x7x365 customer support to guide you and provide fix through any challenge. SONIC, meanwhile, leaves you navigating the open-source community to find or make fix on your own.
Feature Fireworks: A Symphony of Capabilities
Community SONiC boasts flexibility, but is it a double-edged sword? Sure, it covers basic enterprise needs, but its feature set is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’ll get. Advanced functionalities like multi-homing and extensive multicast are often missing, leaving you with potential roadblocks.
OcNOS, on the other hand, is your network’s Swiss Army knife. Access protocols like ISIS, leverage advanced EVPN-VxLAN features, and personalize your network with UFT. Tackle complex tasks with confidence, knowing you have a comprehensive toolkit at your disposal.
Openness with Accountability: A Balanced Approach
While both OcNOS and SONIC leverage openness, their approaches differ. OcNOS operates as commercial software with full accountability from IP Infusion. SONIC, being open-source, lacks a single point of responsibility. You’re essentially relying on the collective efforts of a community, which can lead to uncertainties, vulnerabilities exposure and slower resolution times.
Charting the Course: A Roadmap Based on Your Needs
OcNOS prioritizes customer-driven development. Its roadmap reflects the needs and input of its users, ensuring features and functionalities evolve alongside your network’s requirements. SONIC’s roadmap, relies on community efforts, may not always align with your specific goals.
Beyond Cost Savings: Efficiency that Empowers
Both OcNOS and SONIC promote open hardware and optics ecosystems, potentially reducing CapEx and OpEx. However, OcNOS goes further with perpetual licensing, minimizing long-term costs. With SONIC, the initial savings through free software can be quickly overrun by development, validation, and support expenses.
Lead the Way, Not the Chase: Controlling Your Timetable
With OcNOS, your network evolves on your terms. Its deployment ready solution and wide hardware ecosystem gives you control over lead times and delivery schedules. SONIC, while offering similar flexibility, can face delays due to development, community validation processes, and HW qualification.
Unified Network, Unified Management: One OS to Rule Them All
OcNOS brings the dream of a single network operating system to life. Manage your data center fabric, data center edge, wireless, and wireline networks seamlessly with a single operating system and consistent user interface. SONIC, primarily focused on data center fabric, leaves you juggling different OSes for different network segments.
The Choice is Clear: OcNOS for a Network Built to Last
While SONIC represents an open-source path, OcNOS offers a compelling alternative. Its production-ready nature, comprehensive features, dedicated support, and user-centric approach make it an ideal choice for those seeking a powerful, dependable, and future-proof network foundation.
Stay tuned for our next blog, where we’ll a brisk summary and final notes about OcNOS and its competitors!
This is Blog 3 in the series “Whispers of Change”. You can read the complete set here:
Blog #1: Two Paths to Open Networking: A Comparison of OcNOS and Commercial SONiC
Blog #3: So You’re Considering SONiC: Why OcNOS Could Be Your Network’s Missing Piece
Blog #4: Network Operating Systems Showdown: OcNOS vs. Proprietary & Open Source Options
Learn More about OcNOS Solutions:
Latest Data Center Case Studies: Scott Data Center Case Study: Revolutionizing Data Center Infrastructure
Latest Data Center Press Releases: Madeo Consultant Replaces Cisco Switches with IP Infusion Software and Open Networking
OcNOS Features and Supported Platforms: https://www.ipinfusion.com/documentation/product-collateral-library/
Victor Khen is the Partner Marketing Manager for IP Infusion.