What Is a Network Operating System? Key Role for Network Operations
A network operating system (NOS) is a specialized software solution designed to manage and control network resources, facilitating communication and collaboration among all connected devices on the network, such as desktops, laptops, servers, and printers.
Unlike your typical operating systems like Windows, Linux or macOS that handle resources for one device, a NOS takes this a step further by extending its capabilities across the entire network and all devices connected to it. By doing so, it provides centralized management, optimization, and enhanced functionality to the entire network operation.
Types of NOS
There are two types of network operating systems:
- Proprietary NOS: These are developed by either hardware or software vendors. Hardware vendors like Cisco and Juniper create NOS such as Cisco IOS and Juniper Junos, which are optimized for their specific hardware platforms. Software vendors like VMware, Microsoft, and DriveNets develop NOS that are designed to run on more diverse hardware platforms, catering to diverse customer requirements. Examples of proprietary NOS from software vendors include VMware NSX and Microsoft Windows Server.
- Open-source NOS: Open-source NOS solutions like SONiC and FRRouting (FRR) offer customers NOS customization with almost no limits. Having said that, they require a high level of technical expertise to operate, deploy and overcome any feature gaps due to a limited developer community.
Why do network operators need an NOS?
In today’s digital reality, the demand for reliable and high-performance networks is greater than ever. NOS plays a crucial role in ensuring that all data and services flow smoothly and efficiently across any network, from small local area networks (LANs) to large-scale networks.
Key features and capabilities of a modern NOS:
- Resource management: The NOS efficiently allocates resources like storage space, memory, and network bandwidth to connected devices. It ensures smooth operation by preventing any single device from hogging resources and slowing down the network.
- Network security: The NOS protects the network from unauthorized access and malicious attacks. This includes features like user authentication, access control lists (ACLs), firewalls and more advanced routing capabilities.
- Service communication and sharing: The NOS allows devices on the network to share data and services using basic known protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP) and service discovery across the network.
- Monitoring and troubleshooting: The NOS enables administrators to configure, monitor and troubleshoot connected devices, streamlining network maintenance.
- Scaling: An advanced NOS can adapt to a growing network as more devices are added.
The evolving role of NOS
Large-scale networks have evolved significantly in recent decades. The internet is a basic requirement in most countries, and service providers (SPs) have been operating this crucial resource while watching others monetize it. Despite major market shifts and evolving customer expectations, most networks are still constructed using the same methods of 25 years ago, relying on monolithic chassis and hardware-centric models.
This approach has resulted in excessively complex SP networks. These networks are burdened with too many service-specific hardware devices, each requiring unique skills for management, inflexible software update cycles, and a vast inventory of spare parts. This approach not only drives up operational costs but also restricts service providers’ ability to innovate. Consequently, SPs are overwhelmed by high operational overhead, hindering their bottom line. Meanwhile, hyperscalers and over-the-top (OTT) media service providers are capitalizing on these very networks, offering innovative services without the same constraints.
That’s why SPs are seeking alternative approaches for reinventing their networks and pushing towards a more open software-centric model. The evolving role of NOS is a crucial part of this transformation. Today’s NOS must provide better flexibility, simplicity and scalability, while still offering the proven reliability and performance expected of todays’ carrier-grade networks.
DriveNets NOS (DNOS)
Leading the transformation to software-based networks is DriveNets Network Operating System (DNOS). Virtualizing distributed networking and compute resources from white boxes and servers, DNOS creates a unified, shared infrastructure that is managed as a single entity.
DNOS acts as the brain of the DriveNets Network Cloud solution, which allow SPs to reinvent their network and build it like cloud.
Built on a Linux-based OS, containerized microservices and open APIs, DNOS provides a scalable, reliable and programmable infrastructure to run data and control plane functions (routing and others). DNOS supports multiple service offerings at scale, including routing from core to edge and hosting of third-party services.
DNOS key benefits:
- Scalability: elastic scale out (2.4T white box up to 819T cluster) and battle-proven telco-grade high availability
- Cloud-like operations: simple and leaner networks with unified and reusable whitebox hardware, seamless integration and automation via open northbound interfaces, APIs and zero-touch provisioning (ZTP)
- No vendor lock: mixing and matching of ASICs, ODMs, NOSs and optics
- Software-based innovation: accelerated feature delivery, proven code quality, and automated lifecycle
Key Takeaways for NOS
The NOS is the backbone of network operations, providing the essential features and capabilities needed to maintain efficient, secure and high-performing networks. The evolving role of NOS is a crucial part of reinventing network designs and addressing the challenges of SPs in their hectic networking environments.
