7 ms·

Google is Working on its own router

52 points by VonGuard 18y ago

Google never liked Cisco. Now they've gone sour on Juniper. They've decided to do it themselves.

lallysingh 18y ago
There's a lot of smarter application-level stuff you can do, the closer it is to how you run your systems internally. Considering how large/deep their stuff is, they can really blur the line between application processor & router. Personally I've been drooling over this baby: http://www.xilinx.com/products/virtex5/txt.htm http://www.xilinx.com/products/virtex5/txt.htm
sspencer 18y ago
Interesting idea. I wonder if they will be preferential to Google packets! Between that and all the dark fiber Big G is waiting to light up, one wonders about those rumors of Google wanting to own your entire Internet experience.
- litewulf 18y ago
  Google is a pretty strong proponent of net neutrality. The router will probably be preferential to Google packets, though, in the sense I assume these routers are for Google datacenters and not for other people to buy and stick in their house...
zandorg 18y ago
Yeah, my guess is it looks domains up on Google.com, and points to the Google cache...
gsmaverick 18y ago
It was going to happen eventually just like with everything else they use at the googleplex!
VonGuard 18y ago
Frankly, I think they just needed to build some hardware that could handle their loads without choking. Preferential treatment be damned. There simply isn't hardware powerful or reliable enough for their needs. Or, conversely, there is such hardware but it costs $10 million a box.
icey 18y ago
Does this seriously make sense for them to do? To me it seems like they're acquiring a terrible case of NIH syndrome.
- snprbob86 18y ago
  They already have a terrible case of NIH syndrome. It is already well accepted at Google to build if you can avoid the buy. Usually, I'd consider that a bad thing. However, they have proven they can write some damn good software. They have also proven that they can run a data center better than anyone else can. Both their internal and external systems are a pleasure to use. NIH is only a problem when it starts to burn you, but that hasn't really happened... yet. Luckily, they count most open source software as a building block. If there already exists a great open source package, they aren't going to completely ignore it for the sake of NIH syndrome. It's about control, not price. Put simply: Google demands more from their hardware and software than any other organization. Moving and sorting bits is their core competency. This seems like a smart move to me.
  - joshwa 18y ago
    Another reason NIH makes sense for Google is that since they compete in so many markets, the shifting alliances and mergers and whatnot for their vendors could mean that they could end up in a situation where a competitor buys a vendor which puts their support/upgrades/pricing at risk.
- prakash 18y ago
  It makes a lot of sense. Goog has been using Juniper for a while, so goog really understand the problem domain and what % of that problem is solved by Juniper's products. They would also know what they like & dis-like in terms of features their product should have vs. juniper which probably address a wider customer wish list; maybe & I am speculating here, Juniper takes a long time to turn around on features or some features are custom to goog and Juniper doesn't want to build them. So goog gets to design a product that fits their needs for the next few years. If the product turns out well there might even be tremendous competitive advantage since googs competitors can't buy it. Worst case things don't work out and they go back to buying Juniper.
b0ib0t 18y ago
I hate google. Eff em. I use http://search.isc.org/en/ http://search.isc.org/en/ and if that fails http://search.wikia.com/ http://search.wikia.com/.
- wildwood 18y ago
  hmmm... the text gets fainter and fainter the more a post is down-modded, but the urls stay just as dark as any text. Is that deliberate, or a bug? Shouldn't the urls fade out, too?
  - andreyf 18y ago
    Since it makes the URL's stand out, certainly a bug, thinks I.
skorgu 18y ago
I idly wonder how much IPv6 google runs internally and if this has any bearing on this story.
- snprbob86 18y ago
  Why run IPvAnything when you have highly reliable fiber that you don't have to share? There is so much unnecessary overhead...
  - andreyf 18y ago
    Which is precisely why they might want to build their own routers...
flashgordon 18y ago
I am wondering if Google may decide to (truly) open the router OS?
- cygwin98 18y ago
  I vote you up as I'd like to know the answer as well
- marketer 18y ago
  There are already open-source router firmwares, it wouldn't make much sense for Google to try this. One of the well-known ones is XORP: http://www.xorp.org/ http://www.xorp.org/
known 18y ago
Why shooting around the bush (Chrome, Router etc) Just roll-out GTCP/GIP

52 points by VonGuard 18y ago

Google never liked Cisco. Now they've gone sour on Juniper. They've decided to do it themselves.

There's a lot of smarter application-level stuff you can do, the closer it is to how you run your systems internally. Considering how large/deep their stuff is, they can really blur the line between application processor & router. Personally I've been drooling over this baby: http://www.xilinx.com/products/virtex5/txt.htm http://www.xilinx.com/products/virtex5/txt.htm

sspencer 18y ago

Interesting idea. I wonder if they will be preferential to Google packets! Between that and all the dark fiber Big G is waiting to light up, one wonders about those rumors of Google wanting to own your entire Internet experience.

litewulf 18y ago
Google is a pretty strong proponent of net neutrality. The router will probably be preferential to Google packets, though, in the sense I assume these routers are for Google datacenters and not for other people to buy and stick in their house...

zandorg 18y ago

Yeah, my guess is it looks domains up on Google.com, and points to the Google cache...

gsmaverick 18y ago

It was going to happen eventually just like with everything else they use at the googleplex!

VonGuard 18y ago

Frankly, I think they just needed to build some hardware that could handle their loads without choking. Preferential treatment be damned. There simply isn't hardware powerful or reliable enough for their needs. Or, conversely, there is such hardware but it costs $10 million a box.

icey 18y ago

Does this seriously make sense for them to do? To me it seems like they're acquiring a terrible case of NIH syndrome.

snprbob86 18y ago
They already have a terrible case of NIH syndrome. It is already well accepted at Google to build if you can avoid the buy. Usually, I'd consider that a bad thing. However, they have proven they can write some damn good software. They have also proven that they can run a data center better than anyone else can. Both their internal and external systems are a pleasure to use. NIH is only a problem when it starts to burn you, but that hasn't really happened... yet. Luckily, they count most open source software as a building block. If there already exists a great open source package, they aren't going to completely ignore it for the sake of NIH syndrome. It's about control, not price. Put simply: Google demands more from their hardware and software than any other organization. Moving and sorting bits is their core competency. This seems like a smart move to me.
- joshwa 18y ago
  Another reason NIH makes sense for Google is that since they compete in so many markets, the shifting alliances and mergers and whatnot for their vendors could mean that they could end up in a situation where a competitor buys a vendor which puts their support/upgrades/pricing at risk.
prakash 18y ago
It makes a lot of sense. Goog has been using Juniper for a while, so goog really understand the problem domain and what % of that problem is solved by Juniper's products. They would also know what they like & dis-like in terms of features their product should have vs. juniper which probably address a wider customer wish list; maybe & I am speculating here, Juniper takes a long time to turn around on features or some features are custom to goog and Juniper doesn't want to build them. So goog gets to design a product that fits their needs for the next few years. If the product turns out well there might even be tremendous competitive advantage since googs competitors can't buy it. Worst case things don't work out and they go back to buying Juniper.

b0ib0t 18y ago

I hate google. Eff em. I use http://search.isc.org/en/ http://search.isc.org/en/ and if that fails http://search.wikia.com/ http://search.wikia.com/.

wildwood 18y ago
hmmm... the text gets fainter and fainter the more a post is down-modded, but the urls stay just as dark as any text. Is that deliberate, or a bug? Shouldn't the urls fade out, too?
- andreyf 18y ago
  Since it makes the URL's stand out, certainly a bug, thinks I.

skorgu 18y ago

I idly wonder how much IPv6 google runs internally and if this has any bearing on this story.

snprbob86 18y ago
Why run IPvAnything when you have highly reliable fiber that you don't have to share? There is so much unnecessary overhead...
- andreyf 18y ago
  Which is precisely why they might want to build their own routers...

flashgordon 18y ago

I am wondering if Google may decide to (truly) open the router OS?

cygwin98 18y ago
I vote you up as I'd like to know the answer as well
marketer 18y ago
There are already open-source router firmwares, it wouldn't make much sense for Google to try this. One of the well-known ones is XORP: http://www.xorp.org/ http://www.xorp.org/

known 18y ago

Why shooting around the bush (Chrome, Router etc) Just roll-out GTCP/GIP