4 ms·

RouterOS on Mikrotik, pfsense on x86, VyOS(debian) on x86 are all good options. It's just hard to find off-the-shelf parts to build your 1u/2u router/switches r

by ausjke 8y ago

RouterOS on Mikrotik, pfsense on x86, VyOS(debian) on x86 are all good options. It's just hard to find off-the-shelf parts to build your 1u/2u router/switches running open source though, software is there, but no such hardware, the best you get is some random formats(e.g. mini-itx) and you can not really put them on the rack.

sekh60 8y ago
Speaking as a pfSense user, it isn't hard to build a rack mountable router. I used an Intel Rangeley C2758 and put it and a power supply, and a pair of SSDs to mirror the install in a 2U chassis. Nothing would have stopped me using a 1U chassis, but I have no experience with smaller power supplies yet.
closeparen 8y ago
Are they really? My understanding is that the ASICs in real routers and switches deliver performance way beyond what’s possible in a reasonable general-purpose computer.
- ausjke 8y ago
  depends on how fast you want to achieve, there are good pcie cards for network and storage purposes with excellent linux support. gosh I miss those low power powerpc boards with excellent network performances, x86 is still power-hungry/less-network-efficient comparing to them, arm is a joke at the moment, not familiar with mips there though
- dboreham 8y ago
  Mikrotik supports those ASICs, when you run RouterOS on their native hardware.
  - opello 8y ago
    And if Linux or *BSD had a framework to represent the switch configuration I think more switch IC device drivers would be forthcoming. Last time I worked with a Marvell switch in Linux the configuration ended up being manual MDIO accesses. Not difficult, but not a nice interface either.
kuon 8y ago
I meant big hardware, like the Cisco ASR 9000 line. That's the market I want to switch to open source.
Johnny555 8y ago
pfSense will sell you a netgate 1U or 2U firewall appliance with full support: https://www.pfsense.org/products/ https://www.pfsense.org/products/

by ausjke 8y ago

sekh60 8y ago

Speaking as a pfSense user, it isn't hard to build a rack mountable router. I used an Intel Rangeley C2758 and put it and a power supply, and a pair of SSDs to mirror the install in a 2U chassis. Nothing would have stopped me using a 1U chassis, but I have no experience with smaller power supplies yet.

closeparen 8y ago

Are they really? My understanding is that the ASICs in real routers and switches deliver performance way beyond what’s possible in a reasonable general-purpose computer.

ausjke 8y ago
depends on how fast you want to achieve, there are good pcie cards for network and storage purposes with excellent linux support. gosh I miss those low power powerpc boards with excellent network performances, x86 is still power-hungry/less-network-efficient comparing to them, arm is a joke at the moment, not familiar with mips there though
dboreham 8y ago
Mikrotik supports those ASICs, when you run RouterOS on their native hardware.
- opello 8y ago
  And if Linux or *BSD had a framework to represent the switch configuration I think more switch IC device drivers would be forthcoming. Last time I worked with a Marvell switch in Linux the configuration ended up being manual MDIO accesses. Not difficult, but not a nice interface either.

kuon 8y ago

I meant big hardware, like the Cisco ASR 9000 line. That's the market I want to switch to open source.

Johnny555 8y ago

pfSense will sell you a netgate 1U or 2U firewall appliance with full support: https://www.pfsense.org/products/ https://www.pfsense.org/products/