Technology Deep-Dives
Engineering walkthroughs of the protocols, AI fabric architectures, and load-balancing technologies inside OcNOS: RoCEv2, DLB, GLB, Ultra Ethernet, EVPN-VXLAN, segment routing and more. Written for network architects who want substance over slogans. New to the category? Start with open networking and where IP Infusion fits.
Segment Routing: MPLS
IS-IS / OSPF as IGP, label-switched forwarding without LDP, TI-LFA fast reroute, Flex-Algorithm constraint paths.
Read deep-dive → Underlay · IPv6Segment Routing v6 (SRv6)
IPv6 SID encoding, micro-SID compression, end-to-end policy with no MPLS dataplane required.
Read deep-dive → Overlay · DC + MetroEVPN-VXLAN
BGP-signaled multi-tenant L2/L3 VPN, ESI multi-homing, symmetric/asymmetric IRB, mass-withdraw convergence.
Read deep-dive → Routing · Internet + DCBGP
Add-path, BGP-LU, GR/LLGR, BMP telemetry, RPKI ROV, AS-set / AS-confederation, multi-million-route scale.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · LosslessRoCEv2
PFC + ECN + DCQCN tuning for GPU collectives. Adaptive load-balancing, per-priority telemetry, sub-µs jitter.
Read deep-dive → Silicon · Full portfolioBroadcom Switch Silicon
The complete map of Broadcom StrataXGS (Tomahawk, Trident) and StrataDNX (Jericho, Qumran) silicon OcNOS runs on: how the families differ, the generations and their advantages, and the IP Infusion qualified open switches and routers built on each.
Read deep-dive → Silicon · 800G AI FabricTomahawk 5 Switches
BCM78900 silicon, 51.2 Tbps in one 5 nm die, and the three open 800G platforms validated on OcNOS-DC: Edgecore AIS800-64D, UfiSpace S9321-64E / 64EO.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · AdaptiveDynamic Load Balancing (DLB)
Sub-millisecond flowlet rebinding using live ASIC queue-depth telemetry. Closes the ECMP hash-collision gap on GPU collectives.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · OcNOS 7.1Global Load Balancing (GLB)
Fabric-wide adaptive routing: end-to-end path scoring across leaf, spine, and super-spine for 1k-16k GPU clusters. Coming in OcNOS 7.1.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · Next-GenUltra Ethernet (UEC)
UEC 1.0 fabric profile: packet spray, multi-path RDMA, out-of-order delivery, modern congestion control. The open answer to InfiniBand.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · Reference DesignsAI Fabric Topologies
Rail-only, rail-optimized, and 3-stage Clos scheduled fabrics. Sized in port counts for 256, 1k, 4k, and 16k GPU clusters on TH4 / TH5.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · Congestion ControlDCQCN: RDMA Congestion Control
WRED ECN marking, CNP feedback, and quantized rate control. xCCL-class defaults out of the box; every threshold YANG-modeled for tuning.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · WatchdogPFC Deadlock Detection & Recovery
Per-port, per-priority watchdog timer that detects paused-queue cycles and auto-drains the affected queue before training jobs hang.
Read deep-dive → DC Fabric · Active/ActiveEVPN Multi-Homing (ESI-LAG)
RFC 7432 standards-based Active/Active server attachment. Designated forwarder, aliasing, mass-withdraw, no proprietary MLAG ICL.
Read deep-dive → DC Fabric · Inter-DC400G Coherent DCI (ZR / ZR+)
400G ZR and OpenZR+ pluggables direct in the spine. Transponder-free metro and long-haul DCI with EVPN inter-DC for tenant extension.
Read deep-dive → AI Fabric · Decision GuideInfiniBand vs Ethernet for AI
Workload-specific decision guide. Where modern Ethernet (RoCEv2 + DLB + UEC) closes the gap, where IB still wins, and how to pick.
Read deep-dive → Layer-2 · EncryptionMACsec
IEEE 802.1AE line-rate encryption: AES-GCM 256, EAPoL-MKA key management, hitless rekey on 100G/400G transport.
Read deep-dive → Observability · gNMIStreaming Telemetry
gNMI Subscribe over gRPC, OpenConfig YANG, dial-out collectors, and integrations with Telegraf, Prometheus, and Grafana.
Read deep-dive → Timing · 5G + AIPTP & SyncE
IEEE 1588v2 Class C/D, SyncE G.8261/G.8262, boundary clock, transparent clock, hybrid mode, sub-100ns phase accuracy.
Read deep-dive → Transport · RSVP-TEMPLS Traffic Engineering
RSVP-TE LSPs, CSPF path computation, Fast Reroute link/node protection, DS-TE class-types, auto-bandwidth, inter-AS TE.
Read deep-dive → Forwarding · SP + DCQoS and Traffic Management
DiffServ classification, srTCM and trTCM policing, per-queue and per-port shaping, WRED, weighted and strict-priority scheduling, three-level hierarchical queuing.
Read deep-dive → Operations · SLATWAMP & Service Assurance
TWAMP (RFC 5357) active IP delay, jitter and loss over MPLS, SR and SRv6 L3VPN; Y.1564 service activation testing; Y.1731 Ethernet OAM with CFM, DMM/DMR delay and LMM/SLM loss.
Read deep-dive → Automation · Day-0NETCONF, YANG & ZTP
NETCONF over SSH/TLS, OpenConfig + IETF YANG, candidate datastore with commit/rollback, Zero-Touch Provisioning, Ansible & Salt.
Read deep-dive → Interactive toolAI Fabric Sizing Tool
Size a non-blocking leaf-spine fabric for your GPU cluster: leaf and spine switch counts, fabric links, and oversubscription on OcNOS-DC.
Open the tool → Data reportOcNOS Feature Coverage Report
767 documented features across 13 categories, 537 implementing public standards, validated on 44 open platforms and 17 Broadcom ASICs.
View the report → PrimerOpen Networking
The open-networking vendor landscape and network operating system options, and where IP Infusion OcNOS fits.
Read the primer → ComparisonOcNOS vs Cisco
How OcNOS compares to Cisco IOS-XR and NX-OS: open hardware sourcing, silicon, licensing, standards parity, and support.
Compare → ComparisonOcNOS vs SONiC
Commercial supported NOS vs community open-source NOS for the data center, both on open merchant silicon: support model, integration burden, EVPN-VXLAN, and AI fabric.
Compare → ComparisonOcNOS vs Juniper
Service-provider migration from Juniper MX/QFX/ACX/PTX: platform mapping, Junos-to-OcNOS CLI, and a phased path.
Compare →Want a topic covered?
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