But the porting process isn't finished, and Everus doesn't know how long it will take. For now, routers are running only 3Com's own open source applications, though, according to Tinholt, this is still valuable. "The OSN module definitely weighed on our decision to use the MSR," he says, adding that price was also a factor in choosing the 3Com box over Cisco's ISR. "Being able to use familiar Linux apps is important."OPENING THE PACKET
An open API on a switch or router can be useful even if applications are running on servers elsewhere. This is the thinking behind Cisco's and Juniper's plans to open their IOS and JunOS platforms. When Cisco and Juniper talk about being open, they don't mean their code will be open source like Linux, or even able to run on standard hardware, as Windows does. Rather, third-party apps will be able to control most of the switch's or router's functions through an API. For example, a video server could ensure that some types of video are given priority, while a security app might block or throttle particular traffic types. Most of this functionality is already available, but usually only through the vendor's proprietary system. An API ought to give customers more choice, improving integration with third-party apps.
Of the two vendors' plans, Juniper's are furthest along: It already has created a software development kit and signed several members to its Partner Solution Development Program, including Aricent and Avaya. Most are developing for Juniper's traditional service provider market, but Juniper also thinks third parties will develop JunOS apps for the enterprise switches it launched last month. Few enterprise users will build their own apps, however. Though the program is described as open, members pay an annual licensing fee for access to the API and SDK.
The only truly open router vendor is Vyatta, whose open source routing platform runs on standard x86 hardware. That means it can integrate with just about anything, but you're limited on performance of commodity hardware. This vision is the opposite of Cisco's: Rather than virtualizing servers in switches, Vyatta is betting that increases in computing power will make blade servers a viable alternative to routers.
The first company to partially open its switching API was Extreme Networks, which in May 2005 announced that partners would be able to control XOS, the operating system that powers its high-end BlackDiamond switches. However, it so far has signed up only four partners: Avaya and security vendors CipherOptics, StillSecure, and ISS (since acquired by IBM). As with the Juniper architecture, apps don't actually run on a switch. Instead, they're represented by a switch-side agent that reports back to a separate server or appliance. Extreme says it won't open the API to customers or third parties, as this could destabilize the network.
Juniper denies destabilization is a problem with open JunOS. "People buy us for high performance, and we can't compromise that," says Kathy Gadecki, the development program manager at Juniper. User-developed code runs in a separate VM, isolated from the main operating system so bugs won't crash the switch. Of course, a badly written app could still cause problems, so thorough testing is essential.BABY STEPS
If shifting applications wholesale to a switch sounds too radical, how about just moving certain functions? This is essentially what application front ends and XML accelerators already do, but several vendors want to take that concept much further. The principle is that service-oriented architectures break applications into smaller components, which can then be spread around to whichever hardware is most appropriate.Cisco's Ruh says some pieces of an application may belong in a router or a switch. For example, application firewalls already perform deep-packet inspection to scan for threats. That means they're in a good position to also process traffic based on its contents. Cisco's been pushing this idea since it launched Application-Oriented Networking, or AON, a suite of XML hardware available as a standalone appliance or as a module for the ISR and Catalyst 6500. AON can't run full applications in the way 3Com's OSN modules do, but it's more flexible than standard XML accelerators. Though based on similar hardware, it's programmable to support non-XML messaging protocols and custom data formats.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
