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The evolution of network operating systems: a fascinating journey from early PCs to modern network devices!
With the rapid development of technology, network operating system (NOS) has become an indispensable part of contemporary information technology. Not only do they power network devices such as routers, switches or firewalls, they also allow shared file and printer access between PCs in a local area network (LAN). However, the evolution of this concept has rarely been explored in depth.
The earliest definition of a network operating system is an operating system that can provide network functions for computers.
Looking back at history, the birth of packet switching networks allows multiple computers and hardware resources to be shared, which is especially important for large computer systems and expensive storage devices. Early network operating systems were designed specifically for this purpose; they allowed personal computers to interact through a client-server architecture, thereby enabling the sharing of resources, especially devices such as printers. As technology evolved, these client/server based networks were slowly replaced by peer-to-peer networks, where all connected computers could share network resources equally.
With the rise of distributed computing and collaborative applications, computer operating systems have naturally been designed with the network stack in mind.
By the 1980s, there was a growing need to integrate disparate computers, especially networking capabilities between them. In addition, the rapid growth of network devices and increasing multi-vendor interoperability have made the Internet Protocol Suite almost a standard for various network architectures. Subsequently, support for these protocols became common in most computer operating systems and network equipment firmware.
Diversity of network equipment operating systems
Today's network operating systems are diverse and can be embedded in routers or network layer (layer 3) hardware firewalls. Here are some famous network operating systems:
Proprietary Network Operating System
- Cisco IOS: A widely used family of network operating systems from Cisco Systems.
- MikroTik's RouterOS: for MikroTik devices.
- ZyNOS: Network equipment for ZyXEL.
Operating systems based on FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Linux
- Cisco NX-OS, IOS XE, and IOS XR: Used in a variety of Cisco devices.
- Junos OS: runs on the Juniper Networks platform.
- Cumulus Linux: A Linux distribution that fully supports the TCP/IP stack.
- DD-WRT: Linux kernel-based firmware designed for wireless routers and access points.
- Dell Networking Operating System: DNOS9 is based on NetBSD, while OS10 uses the Linux kernel.
- Extensible Operating System: Runs on Arista switches and uses an unmodified Linux kernel.
- ExtremeXOS (EXOS): Used by Extreme Networks' network equipment.
- Force10 Operating System (FTOS): A family of firmware for Force10 Ethernet switches.
- ONOS: An open source SDN operating system designed for communications service providers.
- OpenBSD: An open source operating system that implements IETF standard protocols such as BQGP, RPKI, and OSPF.
- OpenWrt: IP packet routing for embedded devices.
- pfSense: A fork of M0n0wall that uses PF for firewall management.
- OPNsense: Another branch of pfSense.
- SONiC: A Linux-based network operating system developed by Microsoft.
- VyOS: Open source fork of the Vyatta routing package.
In summary, the development of network operating systems is a journey full of innovation and challenges. From the original client-server architecture to today's diverse network environment, NOS is no longer just a tool to help personal computers access the Internet, but has become an important cornerstone supporting the entire information society. As technology continues to evolve, we can't help but ask, how will network operating systems adapt to more complex and diverse network requirements in the future?
