OcNOS vs Cisco: the open-networking alternative, compared
How IP Infusion OcNOS compares to Cisco IOS-XR and NX-OS: what is the same, what is different, and the platform-by-platform mappings for Nexus, NCS, the Cisco 8000 series, and ACI.
OcNOS and Cisco at a glance
Both are commercial, vendor-supported network operating systems with a standards-based protocol set. The difference is the operating model: integrated versus disaggregated.
What’s the same
- Standards-based routing & switching (BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, MPLS, SR, EVPN-VXLAN)
- Full commercial support, SLAs, and a global support organization
- Carrier-grade reliability for SP and data-center roles
What’s different
- OcNOS runs on open merchant-silicon hardware from multiple makers; Cisco runs on Cisco systems
- Multi-vendor sourcing: software and hardware bought separately
- Software licensed independently of the hardware purchase
| Dimension | OcNOS (IP Infusion) | Cisco (IOS-XR / NX-OS) |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware sourcing | Disaggregated. The same OcNOS image runs on open white-box platforms from multiple manufacturers (Edgecore, UfiSpace, Celestica) listed in the OcNOS HCL. | Integrated. The NOS runs on Cisco-branded systems. |
| Silicon | Standardizes on open Broadcom merchant silicon: Qumran and Jericho for routing, Trident and Tomahawk for switching. | Cisco Silicon One and CloudScale ASICs, and Broadcom merchant silicon in parts of the portfolio (for example NCS 540, NCS 5500/5700, Nexus 9500 R-Series). |
| Operating system | One NOS family: OcNOS-SP for service-provider routing and OcNOS-DC for the data center. | IOS-XR for SP and core routing, NX-OS for the data center, IOS-XE for enterprise and campus. |
| Licensing | Software licensed independently of the hardware, with perpetual and term options and progressive feature tiers unlocked by software upgrade. | Smart Licensing Using Policy, with subscription and term options. Some lines retain perpetual options. |
| Sourcing model | Multi-vendor: hardware is procured separately from the software, so platforms can be competed across ODMs. | Single-vendor stack: hardware, software, and support are sourced from Cisco. |
| Standards & protocols | Carrier-grade standards stack on open hardware: BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS, SR-MPLS, SRv6, EVPN-VXLAN, RSVP-TE, IEEE 1588v2. Browse the Feature Matrix for per-platform support. | Comparable standards-based protocol suite across IOS-XR / NX-OS. |
| Support model | Fully commercial: single-vendor software support and SLAs from IP Infusion; hardware support from the open-hardware vendor. | Fully commercial: single-vendor TAC for hardware and software. |
| Management & CLI | Industry-standard, IOS-style transactional CLI (explicit commit), plus NETCONF and OpenConfig telemetry. | IOS-XR and NX-OS CLI with Cisco model-driven telemetry. |
Bottom line: who should pick which
Choose Cisco for a single vendor across integrated hardware, software, and support when your operations are standardized on IOS-XR or NX-OS. Choose OcNOS to decouple software from hardware, source merchant-silicon platforms from multiple manufacturers, and keep supply-chain optionality, while still running a vendor-supported, standards-based stack.
Cisco’s data center is moving to open standards
Two public dynamics make a refresh a natural moment to evaluate open networking:
- Cisco is steering new data-center fabrics to open standards. Its “Nexus One” direction points new deployments at standards-based VXLAN/EVPN on NX-OS, managed through Nexus Dashboard, the same VXLAN/EVPN data plane OcNOS-DC runs natively.
- Older generations are winding down on the refresh cycle. Cisco’s Nexus 7700 switch family has reached end-of-sale per Cisco’s published end-of-life bulletins, and specific older line cards and software trains across the ASR 9000 and NCS 5500 lines carry their own published milestones.
- The flagship platforms remain current. Nexus 9000, ASR 9000, NCS 5500, and Cisco 8000 are actively sold. This is about choice at refresh time, not a forced migration.
To be clear: Cisco has not published an end-of-life for ACI. This is a strategic direction toward open standards, not a product retirement, and those open standards are exactly where OcNOS already lives.
Platform-by-platform: SP routers
Mappings are by silicon class and role, not a SKU-for-SKU swap: where Cisco already uses Broadcom merchant silicon, it is the same silicon generation; where Cisco uses Silicon One, it is a same-throughput-class match on different silicon. The right platform depends on your port mix, scale, and feature usage.
| Cisco class | OcNOS-SP open-hardware equivalent |
|---|---|
| Cisco NCS 540: access / aggregation (IOS-XR, Broadcom Qumran-AX) | OcNOS-SP on UfiSpace S9510-28DC / Edgecore AS7535-28XB (Broadcom Qumran-2A). Cisco itself uses Broadcom here, so this is the cleanest silicon-class match. |
| Cisco NCS 5500 / 5700: aggregation / edge (IOS-XR, Broadcom Jericho / Jericho2) | OcNOS-SP on UfiSpace S9600-32X / S9600-64X / Edgecore AS7946-30XB (Broadcom Qumran-2C / Jericho-2C class, same StrataDNX/DNX generation, not the same chip). |
| Cisco 8000 (8201 / 8202): core / peering (IOS-XR, Cisco Silicon One Q200) | OcNOS-SP on UfiSpace S9610-36D (Broadcom Jericho-2C+, ~14.4T) or Edgecore AS9947-36XKB (Jericho-2C+, ~7.2T). Silicon One and Jericho are architecturally distinct on buffer depth, FIB/RIB scale, and label-stack depth. |
| Cisco ASR 9902 / 9903: PE / BNG edge (IOS-XR) | OcNOS-SP on Jericho2-class aggregation routers. Rich BNG and L2VPN feature parity is the qualifying question for a specific deployment. |
Platform-by-platform: data-center switches
| Cisco class | OcNOS-DC open-hardware equivalent |
|---|---|
| Cisco Nexus 9300-FX / FX2: 100G leaf (NX-OS, CloudScale) | OcNOS-DC on Edgecore AS7326-56X (Broadcom Trident-3 X7, 48×25G + 8×100G) with BGP-EVPN-VXLAN. |
| Cisco Nexus 9300-GX / 9332D: 400G leaf / spine (NX-OS, CloudScale) | OcNOS-DC on Edgecore AS9716-32D (Tomahawk-3, 32×400G) or AS9736-64D (Tomahawk-4, 64×400G, deep-buffer). |
| Cisco 800G DC spine: Silicon One G100 class (e.g. Nexus 9232E) | OcNOS-DC on Edgecore AIS800-64D / UfiSpace S9321-64E (Broadcom Tomahawk-5, 64×800G / 51.2T). Silicon One G200/G100 vs Tomahawk-5, same 51.2T class, different vendor. |
| Cisco Nexus 9500 R-Series: deep-buffer spine (NX-OS, Broadcom Jericho) | OcNOS-DC on a Broadcom Jericho-class deep-buffer platform, directly comparable merchant silicon. |
| Cisco ACI / APIC: controller-based DC fabric | OcNOS-DC standards-based BGP-EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spine on open hardware: the same overlay primitives without a central controller dependency. Not a one-to-one APIC feature port; the controller and policy model differ. |
These are silicon-class and role matches; the right platform for your network depends on its port mix, scale, and feature set. No SKU is presented as a guaranteed one-to-one replacement. Specs reflect publicly documented information as of June 2026.
The open hardware OcNOS runs on
The same OcNOS image runs across validated open platforms from Edgecore and UfiSpace, a representative set for the roles above:
See the full validated set on the Hardware Compatibility List.
Where OcNOS replaces Cisco well
SP metro & edge aggregation
SR-MPLS, EVPN-MPLS, and IEEE 1588v2 timing on Broadcom Qumran/Jericho open platforms, the same silicon class as Cisco NCS 540 / 5500 access and aggregation routers.
Data-center EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spine
A standards-based BGP-EVPN-VXLAN fabric on open Trident/Tomahawk hardware, aligned with Cisco’s own move toward open VXLAN/EVPN, without a central controller dependency.
400G & 800G data-center spine
High-radix spines on Broadcom Tomahawk-4 (400G) and Tomahawk-5 (800G), with RoCEv2 lossless options for AI fabric, the merchant-silicon class behind modern designs.
IPoDWDM & 400G coherent DCI
OpenZR+ 400G coherent pluggables managed directly from OcNOS-SP: transponder-free DCI on open hardware, with public IP Infusion field validation.
CLI and operations
OcNOS uses an industry-standard, IOS-style command line that is transactional with an explicit commit, close in ergonomics to the IOS-XR commit model. Most configuration translates directly:
- Familiar syntax for BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, MPLS, interfaces, and EVPN from IOS-XR and NX-OS.
- Standards-based management: NETCONF and OpenConfig telemetry into your existing collectors.
- Mapped, not guessed: migrations use a command map and an SE-reviewed translation pass, never a blind line-by-line port.
A phased migration path
Assessment & lab
Capture the current IOS-XR / NX-OS config, port mix, and feature usage; map platforms against the classes above and select OcNOS editions and HCL hardware.
Pilot & parity
Run a dual-homed pilot, validate protocol and timing parity, translate route-policy and EVPN config, and stream OpenConfig telemetry to your existing collector.
Rolling cutover
Cut over region by region with a clear rollback path, retaining the same standards-based data plane and operational model throughout.
Where OcNOS fits
OcNOS is the network-operating-system layer of open networking: a commercial, carrier-grade NOS that runs on open hardware and is supported like a traditional vendor product. Against Cisco, the wedge is open-hardware economics and sourcing freedom, not a claim of feature or support superiority. Cisco is a mature, fully supported incumbent; OcNOS competes on the disaggregated model and on the open standards Cisco itself is moving toward.
Cisco, IOS-XR, IOS-XE, NX-OS, Silicon One, Nexus, Catalyst, NCS, Cisco 8000, ACI, and APIC are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. Broadcom and its product names are trademarks of Broadcom Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. IP Infusion is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cisco Systems. Comparisons reflect publicly documented specifications as of June 2026 and are provided for evaluation purposes only.