The talk discusses the history of Vyatta, an open source networking company founded in 2005. It aimed to be the RedHat of networking using a free software model. However, Vyatta struggled with issues like lack of infrastructure support, scaling challenges, dependence on outdated routing protocols, cost of support, and competition. While the free software model provided benefits like free developers and publicity, Vyatta failed to gain significant market share. The talk suggests free software platforms take time to mature and that new opportunities may arise from technologies like DPDK, Yang models, Openstack and OpenDaylight.

1. The untold story of free software in
networking
Stephen Hemminger
@networkplumber

2. Vyatta's Journey
● History
● Plan
● Potholes
● Lessons learned

3. History
● Founded 2005
● 2007 Debian platform
● 2008 XORP Quagga→
● 2012 Brocade acquires Vyatta
● 2013 Community version ends
● 2014 vRouter 5600 (DPDK) released

4. “Plans are of little importance,
but planning is essential”
-- Winston Churchill

5. Free Software
+ Free Publicity
+ Free Developers
----------------------------
= Success

6. 100
75
50
25
0
Marketshare%
Innovators
2.5 %
Early
Adopters
13.5 %
Early
Majority
34 %
Late
Majority
34 %
Laggards
16 %
Diffusion of Innovations

7. Free Software gets attentionFree Software gets attention

10. Free Developers
● Worldwide users
● Bugzilla
● Forums & Chat
● Easy to build
– Git
– ISO

11. Best Documentation was from the community!

12. Developer dream

13. Developer reality

14. Missing Infrastructure
● No Commuity Manager
● No Foundation
● No Contributor Agreement
● No Pull Request process

16. Roadblocks
● Scale
● Effort
● Features

17. Routing at scale

18. Dataplane Performance
64 128 512 1518
0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
Linux
DPDK
Packet Size
FramesperSecond
Line Rate

19. Dependence on extinct Quagga
● Missing OSPFv3
● BGP threading issues
● BGP attributes
● Not enough love

20. http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/06/featuritis_vs_t.html

21. Where are the developers?

22. Final knockout blows
● Real cost of support
● Double the release effort
● Per unit licensing
● Self competition
● Two routing protocol stacks

23. “Success consists of going from failure to failure
without loss of enthusiasm”
-- Winston Churchill

24. Vyatta was in the valley
Time
Legacy
Hardware
Software
Networking

25. Open Ecosystem is awesome
● Tools
– git, perl, python, ...
● Infrastructure
– Debian, Linux
● Surfeit of tools

26. Package vs Platform
● Packages
– Multi-vendor
– Decoupled
● Infrastructure
– Process
– Roadmap
– MAINTAINER?

27. New Technolgy = New Oppurtunities
● DPDK
● Yang
● Openstack
● Open Daylight

29. Free Software maturity
+ Software networking hype
+ Multi vendor collaboration
----------------------------
= New IP

30. Questions?

31. Thank you
Stephen Hemminger
stephen@networkplumber.org
@networkplumber

32. The untold story of free software in
networking
Stephen Hemminger
@networkplumber
When you start on a trip, you end up in a totally
unexpected place.
Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about
your destination.
Read more at
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/drake55
1817.html#XYhSypwOg9T65HRT.99

33. Vyatta's Journey
● History
● Plan
● Potholes
● Lessons learned
This talk covers the history of Vyatta, what happened,
what worked and what didn't

34. History
● Founded 2005
● 2007 Debian platform
● 2008 XORP Quagga→
● 2012 Brocade acquires Vyatta
● 2013 Community version ends
● 2014 vRouter 5600 (DPDK) released

35. “Plans are of little importance,
but planning is essential”
-- Winston Churchill

36. Free Software
+ Free Publicity
+ Free Developers
----------------------------
= Success
Vyatta wanted to be the RedHat of networking.
Networking is dominated by mature proprietary legacy
vendors (mostly Cisco)

37. 100
75
50
25
0
Marketshare%
Innovators
2.5 %
Early
Adopters
13.5 %
Early
Majority
34 %
Late
Majority
34 %
Laggards
16 %
Diffusion of Innovations

38. Free Software gets attentionFree Software gets attention
The fundamental issue when breaking into established
market is getting noticed.

41. Free Developers
● Worldwide users
● Bugzilla
● Forums & Chat
● Easy to build
– Git
– ISO

42. Best Documentation was from the community!

43. Developer dream

44. Developer reality

45. Missing Infrastructure
● No Commuity Manager
● No Foundation
● No Contributor Agreement
● No Pull Request process

47. Roadblocks
● Scale
● Effort
● Features

48. Routing at scale

49. Dataplane Performance
64 128 512 1518
0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
Linux
DPDK
Packet Size
FramesperSecond
Line Rate

50. Dependence on extinct Quagga
● Missing OSPFv3
● BGP threading issues
● BGP attributes
● Not enough love

51. http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/06/featuritis_vs_t.html

52. Where are the developers?

53. Final knockout blows
● Real cost of support
● Double the release effort
● Per unit licensing
● Self competition
● Two routing protocol stacks

54. “Success consists of going from failure to failure
without loss of enthusiasm”
-- Winston Churchill

55. Vyatta was in the valley
Time
Legacy
Hardware
Software
Networking

56. Open Ecosystem is awesome
● Tools
– git, perl, python, ...
● Infrastructure
– Debian, Linux
● Surfeit of tools
● Free software platforms like Linux take time
● Free software costs can be spread across multiple
vendors
● When needs change, users change

57. Package vs Platform
● Packages
– Multi-vendor
– Decoupled
● Infrastructure
– Process
– Roadmap
– MAINTAINER?

58. New Technolgy = New Oppurtunities
● DPDK
● Yang
● Openstack
● Open Daylight

60. Free Software maturity
+ Software networking hype
+ Multi vendor collaboration
----------------------------
= New IP

61. Questions?

62. Thank you
Stephen Hemminger
stephen@networkplumber.org
@networkplumber