Open-Source Router to Take on Cisco?

ickypick writes to tell us that CNN is running an article about the emergence of an OpenSource Router product, currently in Beta, that targets mid-size enterprise customers for about one-fifth the cost of current enterprise networking giants' hardware. From the article: "The machine runs on two Intel chips, but far more noteworthy is its software, known as XORP, or extensible open router platform. The versatile open-source application can direct data traffic for a giant corporation as easily as it can manage a home Wi-Fi network." The current release is available for download from Vyatta's web site."

Sweet!

[__aaclcg7560]

It can turn my old AMD K5 machine into a top-end Cisco machine. Does anyone have a spare ISA network card?

Wha wha what???

[garrett714]

Initial funding to develop XORP is provided by Intel and the National Science Foundation. Further funding has been provided by Microsoft Corporation and Vyatta. We are extremely grateful for their support.

Re:I foresee a day

[Anonymous Coward]

--Seems like everything is Open Source now.--

everything but the women...

you have to pay oodles up front and, eventually, you find out the eula isn't what you where led to believe, the eula changes over time and, worst of all, the source is closed. and i mean *closed*.

Re:Network outage?

[gardyloo]

So who do you call when the thing breaks?

      The A-Team.

I love open source software naming

[stinky wizzleteats]

Grep. Gimp. Kugar. Krita. Kexi. LaTex. Tcl. And now, the piece de resistance - xorp.

Why route when you can XORP!

Is there really a market for this?

[Anonymous Coward]

As I understand it, there's already this open source routing software called "Linux". I sysadmin at a medium sized financial trading house, and managed to toss out our two Cisco routers a year or so ago. I replaced them with Gentoo Linux boxen running the standard IP stack and routed, on office ready Dell PCs (with a couple of extra ethernet and fibre cards as appropriate). And you know what? It's been even more reliable, less downtime for patches or crashing or hardware failure. I'm not likely to go back to Cisco until I see the same standard of freedom and quality in their code that I do in Linux.

Re:The Oracle Strategy

[Nick Driver]

If they become any kind of threat to Cisco, all Cisco needs to do is to buy the company, and render the issue moot.

(cough, cough) Linksys (cough)

Re:I love open source software naming

[DrSkwid]

says stinky_wizzleteats

Re:Network outage?

[Lord Ender]

I was thinking the GhostBusters, but whatever.

Re:I foresee a day

[peragrin]

You forgot about the forced upgrades that you pay for, feature creep, and bloat.

Re:I foresee a day

[Anonymous Coward]

You got feature creep! You lucky b*st*rd! I wouldn't mind paying for the upgrades, if I got feature creep....

Re:I foresee a day

[NitroWolf]

You forgot about the forced upgrades that you pay for, feature creep, and bloat.

The bloat... god the bloat.

Re:I foresee a day

[Anonymous Coward]

Not to mention that when you install a competing product the original vendor sues you for half your worth...

Re:I foresee a day

[value_added]

Have you tried the subscription model?

I hear it works well, though getting an extended lease time or supplementary benefits added without paying extra can be problematic.

Re:But will it...

[crotherm]

yeah but don't you see? A Cisco router is like an Etch-O-Sketch. After messing with them for a while, you have to turn 'em upside down and shake 'em up!!!