Networking Definition · NOS · Open Networking

What Is a Network Operating System?

A network operating system (NOS) is the software that runs a router or switch: it computes routes with protocols such as BGP and IS-IS, programs the forwarding chip, and provides the CLI and APIs that operators use to configure and monitor the device. An open NOS installs on hardware from more than one manufacturer. OcNOS is the commercial NOS that IP Infusion develops and ships as software and as complete, validated systems on 40+ open hardware platforms.

What is OcNOS OcNOS Feature Matrix
700+OcNOS features
40+validated open platforms
SP + DCOcNOS-SP and OcNOS-DC editions
32G to 51.2Tsystem capacity range

What does a network operating system do?

A router or switch does two jobs at very different speeds. The forwarding chip moves every packet at line rate. The NOS runs on the CPU beside it and decides what the chip should do. That work splits into three planes.

Control plane

Routing and signalling protocols such as BGP, IS-IS and OSPF exchange reachability with neighbours, compute best paths, and handle failures. In service provider networks this plane also runs MPLS and segment routing.

BGP in OcNOS

Forwarding layer

The NOS turns routes, labels and policies into hardware table entries on the switching chip through the silicon vendor's software interface. The chip then forwards without asking the CPU.

QoS in OcNOS

Management plane

The CLI, NETCONF and YANG for configuration, zero-touch provisioning for first boot, and gNMI streaming telemetry for monitoring. This is the surface operators and automation actually touch.

Streaming telemetry

Underneath all three sits a platform layer: the Linux base most modern network operating systems are built on, and the drivers for ports, optics, fans and power that differ from one hardware model to the next. That layer is why a NOS has to be validated on each platform, not only on each chip.

Integrated, open and embedded network operating systems

Every router and switch runs a NOS. The types differ in how the NOS relates to the hardware and who is responsible for it.

  • Integrated NOS. Written by the hardware vendor and sold only on that vendor's hardware. Software and hardware are one product with one roadmap.
  • Open NOS, also called a disaggregated NOS. Sold or distributed separately and installed on open hardware from several manufacturers. It is the software half of network disaggregation, and it can be commercial or open source.
  • Commercial open NOS. An open NOS developed, released and supported by a software company, with validated hardware and a published feature list. OcNOS is in this group.
  • Open-source NOS. Developed by a community, free to use, and supported either in house or through a distribution partner. The operator owns more of the integration.
  • Embedded NOS. A NOS that a networking product company licenses and builds into its own hardware, instead of writing its own routing software. See OcNOS for OEMs.

A router NOS and a switch NOS solve different problems

The same NOS architecture serves both, but a service provider router and a data center switch need different feature sets, so OcNOS ships in two editions.

NeedService provider router NOSData center switch NOS
TransportMPLS, SR-MPLS, SRv6Routed IP fabric, VXLAN
ServicesL3VPN, EVPN over MPLS, Ethernet servicesEVPN-VXLAN for multi-tenant segments
TimingPTP and SyncE for 5GUsually not required
Traffic handlingHierarchical QoS, deep buffers on some siliconECMP, lossless RoCEv2 with PFC and ECN for AI
Typical rolesCell site, aggregation, edge, coreLeaf, spine, management network
OcNOS editionOcNOS-SPOcNOS-DC

How to evaluate an open NOS, and the trade-offs to plan for

An open NOS gives you a choice of hardware and one operating model across it. In return, someone has to prove that the software does what you need on the exact hardware you buy. These are the questions that decide it.

  • Feature coverage per platform. Features depend on the chip. Ask for a list of which feature runs on which hardware model and release, not a list of features in general.
  • Validated hardware. A NOS that is validated on a named platform has been tested with that platform's ports, optics and drivers. A NOS that merely supports the chip has not.
  • Automation interfaces. Check the configuration models, the telemetry path and first-boot provisioning against the tools you already run.
  • Support accountability. When software and hardware come from different suppliers, agree in advance who owns a fault that could be in either.
  • Licensing. Understand how features are packaged and whether the licence follows the role, the port count or the device.
  • Upgrade path. Ask how new releases are tested on the platforms you run, and how you will test them yourself.

A NOS delivered as a validated system answers most of these before the purchase. IP Infusion publishes both halves of that answer: the OcNOS Feature Matrix maps 700+ features to the platforms that support them, and the Hardware Compatibility List names every validated platform.

OcNOS: one network operating system across roles

IP Infusion develops OcNOS as commercial networking software and ships it as complete, validated systems. OcNOS is one network operating system for service provider, data center and AI fabric networks, in two editions.

OcNOS-SP

Validated routers on Broadcom Qumran and Jericho2C+ silicon, from 32 Gbps cell site routers to 14.4 Tbps core routers, for cell site, aggregation, edge, core and IPoDWDM roles.

OcNOS-SP

OcNOS-DC

Validated switches on Broadcom Trident and Tomahawk silicon, from 120 Gbps management switches to 51.2 Tbps Tomahawk5 switches, for management, data center and IPoDWDM roles.

OcNOS-DC

Three ways to buy

OcNOS software for hardware you choose from the HCL, pre-integrated OcNOS Systems ready to deploy, or OcNOS for OEMs built into your own product.

OcNOS Systems

Network operating system models compared

No model is right for every operator. The table sets out where the responsibility sits in each.

QuestionIntegrated NOSOpen-source NOSCommercial open NOSNOS as a validated system
HardwareThe vendor's ownOpen hardware the operator selectsOpen hardware from a supported listNamed, validated platforms
Who develops featuresThe vendorThe community and contributorsThe software companyThe software company
Who supports itThe vendorIn house or a distribution partnerThe software companyOne supplier for software and hardware
Feature coverage per platformVendor datasheetOperator testingPublished by the vendorPublished and tested per platform
Integration workLowHighMediumLow
Hardware choiceOne vendorWideSeveral manufacturersSeveral manufacturers

Network Operating System FAQ

What is a network operating system?
A network operating system, or NOS, is the software that runs a router or switch. It runs the routing protocols that decide where traffic goes, programs those decisions into the forwarding chip, and provides the CLI and APIs that operators use to configure and monitor the device. OcNOS is the network operating system IP Infusion develops for service provider routers and data center switches.
What is an open NOS?
An open NOS is a network operating system that is sold or distributed separately from the hardware and installs on switches and routers from more than one manufacturer. The operator picks the hardware and the NOS independently, and manages the network through standard interfaces such as NETCONF, YANG and gNMI.
What is a disaggregated network operating system?
A disaggregated NOS is the software half of a disaggregated router or switch. It is licensed on its own, installed on open hardware built on merchant silicon, and upgraded on its own release schedule, independent of the hardware lifecycle. In practice the terms open NOS and disaggregated NOS describe the same thing.
Is a network operating system the same as a server operating system?
No. Most modern network operating systems are built on a Linux base, but what makes them a NOS is the networking software on top: routing protocols, the forwarding layer that programs the switching chip, and a management plane designed for network operations. A server operating system runs applications; a NOS runs the network device itself.
What is the difference between a service provider NOS and a data center NOS?
A service provider NOS runs routers in access, aggregation and core networks, so it focuses on MPLS, segment routing, VPN services, QoS and timing. A data center NOS runs leaf and spine switches, so it focuses on BGP underlays, EVPN-VXLAN overlays and, for AI clusters, lossless Ethernet. IP Infusion ships OcNOS-SP for the first and OcNOS-DC for the second.
Can one NOS run on switches and routers from different manufacturers?
Yes, that is the point of an open NOS. OcNOS runs on 40+ validated platforms from Edgecore, UfiSpace and Celestica, built on Broadcom Qumran, Jericho, Trident and Tomahawk silicon, and the Hardware Compatibility List names each one.
How do I choose a network operating system?
Start from the roles in your network, then check four things per role: that every feature you need is supported on the exact hardware you will buy, that the hardware is on the validated list, that the automation interfaces match your tools, and that one support contract covers the software and hardware together.

Choosing a network operating system? Check the platform first.

Find the hardware for each role on the Hardware Compatibility List, confirm the features on the Feature Matrix, then ask an IP Infusion engineer to review the design.

Hardware Compatibility List OcNOS Feature Matrix Contact us

Go deeper. Take it with you.

Two short, technical downloads that go further than this page: the full OcNOS-SP datasheet and the full OcNOS-DC datasheet.

Datasheet

OcNOS-SP Datasheet

Full OcNOS-SP specification: the access, cell site and aggregation feature set, software SKUs, supported hardware platforms, and the solution ordering guide.

Get the datasheet
Datasheet

OcNOS-DC Datasheet

Full OcNOS-DC specification: the EVPN-VXLAN and Ethernet for AI feature set, software SKUs, supported hardware platforms, and the solution ordering guide.

Get the datasheet