[TriLUG] Meeting, August 11: Installing Linux and Configuring Networking on White Box Switches

[Brian Gerard via TriLUG]

Topic:     Installing Linux and Configuring Networking on White Box Switches
Presenter: Barry Peddycord III
When:      Thursday, 11 August 2016 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Where:     The Frontier, 800 Park Offices Drive, Durham, NC
Parking:   Free parking onsite

Links:
	Map:    https://goo.gl/maps/g1PbFnLEV4L2
	Page:   https://trilug.org/2016-08-11/installing-linux-on-switches
	Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/trilug/events/232883994/

Synopsis
Traditionally when procuring a managed switch for a data center network, the
hardware and the operating system came bundled together and were considered
inseparable. *White box* *switches* are a relatively new technology in the
market where the hardware and OS are obtained separately, giving the customer a
choice of operating system and reducing the threat of vendor lock-in. There are
several vendors that produce network operating systems (NOS) that run on white
box switches, such as Cumulus Networks, Big Switch, and Pica8.

This presentation will introduce the technology that drives white box switching,
followed by a technical demonstration of how to use freely-available tools to
simulate provisioning, configuring, and managing a data center network. The
presentation does not assume any prior networking background, and source code
will be provided so that attendees can follow along during the presentation or
on their own at home.

Bio
Barry Peddycord III has been a member of Trilug since 2011. He holds a Master's
degree in Computer Science from NC State University and has served as a past
Chair of the TriLUG Steering Committee. Barry works as an engineer at Cumulus
Networks, a networking startup that has ported Linux to data center switches.
His hobbies include cooking, running, and hacking on assemblers and emulators
for pre-2000 game consoles.