This, my friends, is what's making Cisco rot from the inside. The technical debt is simply too humongous. Just the number of operating systems to maintain is testimony to how clueless the various CTOs have been: IOS-XE, IOS-XR, NXOS, ACI, Ubuntu, CentOS, SONIC, Meraki OS and probably a dozen I'm not thinking of. There's no way out.
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Since when does Cisco maintain Open Source operating systems like Ubuntu and CentOS? We don't.
Cisco has a long history of making a mess of third party proprietary software, open source and abandonware which included multiple linux distributions. A while back Cisco had to make a lot of changes to distributions because they wouldn't pass standardized tests and without that it was pointless to try to integrate a distribution into a larger product. At that point there was no effort to use one linux distribution for all the different systems in which linux was embedded.
FIPS is one library that comes to mind. Device drivers is another. Many other proprietary kernel modules throughout the dozens of BUs. You can't just take a security BU CentOS destro and port collab software on it.
I would argue that's not "maintaining Ubuntu or CentOS", but making sure your product runs on Ubuntu or CentOS. Plenty of manufacturers create device drivers for Windows, but you don't really talk about them "maintaining Windows". That's Microsoft's job. But for argument's sake, I guess I see where you're coming from.
"Since when does Cisco maintain Open Source operating systems like Ubuntu and CentOS"
FIPS is one library that comes to mind. Device drivers is another. Many other proprietary kernel modules throughout the dozens of BUs. You can't just take a security BU CentOS destro and port collab software on it. Too many BU-specific dependencies.
I guess diversity is not necessarily a strength...
Capitalism doesn't work without it, but since most people here think the private sector owes them a job for life they won't understand.
On the other hand, being stupid about having hundreds of branches of IOS, IOS-XR, IOS-XE and NX-OS when you don't have basic software development and management skills to bring value from this is autoasphyxiation.
1vsb+1pxw457c, ooohh, my feelings are so hurt you called me names.
OP wrote "Operating Systems" you dill weed.
Actually, the OP said "Just the number of operating systems to maintain is testimony to how clueless the various CTOs have been:"
Since when does Cisco maintain Open Source operating systems like Ubuntu and CentOS? We don't. At best, we ship products that run on Ubuntu and CentOS. Oh, and BTW, 6 of the 8 "operating systems" the OP mentioned are routing software and are 100% functionally different than Ubuntu and CentOS, but go ahead and nitpick my reply. Your comment doesn't even come close to addressing the point I was making about having to maintain many branches of older switching and routing software.
> "Ubuntu and CentOS are Linux variants, not routing software"
OP wrote "Operating Systems" you dill weed.
What technical depth do we have for Ubuntu and CentOS?
OP and whoever thumbed up that post exposes their incompetence.
"Ubuntu and CentOS are Linux variants, not routing software"
OP wrote "Operating Systems" you dill weed.
@1jor+1pxw457c I agree, generally the track record hasn’t been great at Cisco. I’d argue Meraki is basically the only one.
But the proof is already there, we have CW access points and 9300M switches that already are managed in Meraki very successfully and customers are happy with it.
I guess diversity is not necessarily a strength...
@jdu I can think of another example where an acquired GUI management interface was rewritten to make it work with classic Cisco IOS software. Viptella working out well these days?
IOS-XE, IOS-XR, NXOS, ACI, Ubuntu, CentOS, SONIC, Meraki OS and probably a dozen I'm not thinking of.
Ubuntu and CentOS are Linux variants, not routing software. Why not throw in VMware and RedHat or AlmaLinux while you're just spouting off OS's that you Googled?
Have you even looked at the switched telecommunications industry? When I worked in telecom, we had just as many platforms, release versions, etc. as Cisco because our customers didn't want to upgrade and paid for patches or fixes to existing versions. We were supporting stuff that was 10 yrs old because the customer's wouldn't replace the equipment with newer gear. Cisco is not unique in this matter of supporting legacy stuff.
Do any of those operating systems release from fewer branches than Cisco has operating systems? One OS used to release from more than 500 branches. With no understanding of the concept of requirements each branch changes the PI behavior so syncs and collapses break other branches. Each branch changes it back and the cycle repeats indefinitely.
The NG architecture is IOS with a direct a connection to Meraki so effectively it’s the code you’d expect in such environments but Meraki is just a pretty UI as a management interface.
You do know Meraki runs an open source Bird engine for routing? The "cloud" just changes parameters on the Bird daemon and restarts it. You going to ask SPs to run their Mobile IP networks with that "networking cloud"?
That's one of the reason's for the launch of the "Cisco Networking Cloud" were currently going from many operating systems & hardware to a only a few. Meraki UI will be used everywhere and Catalyst hardware is the standard. Best of both worlds. It will take several years but I think we see major progress in FY24 & FY25.