Network operating systems commonly provide a stable userspace platform for networking devices. Integration of userspace applications as well as low-level hardware support are handled by firmware build systems.
Existing build systems for network operating systems display numerous limitations by either targeting only distinct types of devices, using cumbersome methodologies to add additional features or offering insufficient capabilities regarding what to include in the firmware image. In this presentation, we provide an overview of these limitations and how we mitigate them with Replica.one, an Open Source firmware builder which targets the entire networking stack.
We will focus on the solution's optimization features, its capability to generate firmware for diverse classes of devices across the entire networking stack, and the flexibility to select the desired operating system between various Linux-based distributions.
The presentation targets Linux users who are interested in replacing their existing build system infrastructure with a single unified software platform. The flexibility of image-based network operating systems will allow organizations and its users to operate their existing hardware resources more efficiently and securely.
Professionals who are working in the domain of firmware build systems to integrate applications and features will benefit from Replica.one’s ease of use as well as powerful image customization capabilities.
The novel element of a single platform running on an entire networking infrastructure stack will be of particular interest to a wide range of organizations and companies looking to reduce their operating cost while reaping the benefits of open source community effort.