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Dell Networking Operating System (operating system)

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Dell Networking Operating System is the operating system that is used on all switches built by Dell.

Dell offers networking equipment under the brand-name Dell Networking. Originally Dell offered 3 types of switches: pure ethernet or layer2 PowerConnect switches, multi-layer PowerConnect switches and datacentre-class switches from Force10. Each line runs on their own operating system.

Historical sitation

Up to early 2013 the Dell Networking portfolio could be split into three main groups:

Layer2 switches

The (mainly) L2 switches, with or without basic IP or layer3 options are the PowerConnect switches with a model-number under 6000: from PCT2800 web-managed switches to the PCT5500 gigabit-ethernet switches. These switches are powered by Marvell Technology Group and runs on legacy operating platforms.

Multilayer PowerConnect=

The multi-layer switches with a model-numer 6200 and higher are powered (and designed) by Broadcom hardware and software. The underlying operating systems is real-time OS VxWorks, which was specially designed for embedded systems.

Force10

Force10 switches run on FTOS and FTOS runs on NetBSD. Although some model-ranges use a chipset that was designed by Force10, most ethernet-switches, including the largest group - the S-Series, run on Broadcom based ASIC's such as the Trident+, the firmware is created by Force10.

Dell Networking Operating System

This mix of products and underlying operating-systems will be simplified: all products will run on DNOS, and there will be two main-families of DNOS:

DNOS 6.x

Products that follow up the PowerConnect series switches will run on DNOS 6.x. The user-interface (cli) will use commands and configuration as was used on the PowerConnect switches. Unlike the legacy PowerConnects: the new DNOS 6.x will run on a Linux platform instead of VxWorks. The PowerConnect 8100 series switch is the first switch that runs on a Linux core, and that will be the basis for DNOS 6.x. The existing PowerConnect switches will continue to run their respecive legacy operating-systems but new switches for 'campus networking' will run DNOS 6.x.

DNOS 9.x

The switches that are targeted to the higher-end market (the datacenter class ethernet switches) will run DNOS 9.x. This OS is based on the existing FTOS software from Force10[1]. This means that new versions of FTOS will be renamed to DNOS 9.x (and higher)

See also

FTOS

Sources and references

  1. ^ FTOS Spec sheet, retrieved 13 May, 2013

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