SR Linux, Nokia's new network operating system for routers

Nokia unveiled recently the introduction of a new network operating system called «Linux Service Router»(SR Linux), which describes how a system focused on the use of data centers and cloud environments in the network infrastructure.

SR Linux considered a key component of Nokia Data Center solutions Fabric and will be installed on the Nokia 7250 IXR and 7220 IXR routers. The SR Linux-based solution is already being tested in Apple's new Danish data center.

About SR Linux

Unlike other operating systems for network equipment based on the Linux kernel, SR Linux retains the ability to access the underlying Linux environment, which it is not hidden behind APIs and interfaces specialized companies.

Users have access to the kernel unmodified Linux and basic system applications (bash, cron, Python, etc.), and lSpecific applications are created using NetOps Toolkit, which is not tied to certain programming languages.

NetOps Toolkit-based applications, such as routing protocol implementations, gain access to various network APIs, but function as separate components.

This approach allows you to manage applications separately from the system.To operational, for example, you can update the application without making changes to the system or update the operating system without rebuilding the applications.

In addition to standard applications, such as the implementation of routing protocols, it is allowed to run arbitrary third-party programs.

Using the unmodified Linux kernel greatly simplifies maintenance of patches with the elimination of vulnerabilities and the creation of plug-ins. The declared ability to access Linux utilities, patches, and packages, as well as support for release in isolated containers. Support for defining breakpoints to revert changes in case of problems.

Administration can be done through gNMI (gRPC network management interface), command line interface, Python plugins, and JSON-RPC API.

To access the functionality of the services running on the system, it is proposed to use gRPC and Protocol Buffers.

SR Linux applications can exchange data status using the publish / subscribe (pub / sub) architecture, which also uses gRPC and Protocol Buffers, and uses IDB (Nokia Impart Database) as a guaranteed delivery mechanism.

To structure the information about the status and configuration of the application used, YANG data models (Yet Another Next Generation, RFC-6020) are used.

Network protocol implementations, including Multiprotocol Border Gateway Protocol (MP-BGP), Ethernet VPN (EVPN), and Extensible Virtual LAN (VXLAN), are based on the proven SR OS (Nokia Service Operating System) protocol stack. Router), already implemented in more than a million Nokia routers To summarize the hardware components, the Nokia XDP (extensible data path) layer is used.

To automate operations creation, deployment, configuration of the data center network infrastructure, collection and analysis of telemetry, Nokia Fabric Services Platform offered (PSF).

FSP too provides software network simulation tools to simplify network planning, design, testing and debugging in data centers. Network components simulated using container isolation based on the Kubernetes platform, which allows you to run individual instances of SR Linux in your sandbox environments.

In essence FSP allows you to programmatically create a virtual copy of a real network and use the same software (SR Linux in containers) that is used in real routers and switches in this simulated network. Additionally, the real and simulated network use the same settings, allowing you to use a software simulated network as the first link to make and test changes.

Based on a simulated environment, FSP can generate all the information necessary to implement a real network.

If you want to know more about it, you can consult the official Nokia statement by going to to the following link.


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  1.   Allan herrera said

    which programming languages?

    Do not trust, remember that Nokia is owned by Microsoft