“As people around the world celebrate and discuss 30 years of Linux this year, the focus, rightly so, is on supercomputers and Martian helicopters and many other very developer-centric stories. Against this backdrop I want to highlight the role Linux plays in the underlying network infrastructure. That’s right, routers and switches and firewalls and other appliances; the connective tissue of our internet enabled economy. First, I have to admit that I missed most of the first decade of Linux. But I did build my first ISP on CentOS bridging routers built on IPTables with a bunch of Pearl and Shell scripts about 20 years ago, at the turn of the century. And I do use a Linux desktop all day every day (currently Mint Cinnamon if you’re curious). So, I feel qualified to point out that almost every network and security device available today runs a Linux kernel. Even Juniper Networks Junos OS, originally built on FreeBSD has now shifted to a native Linux kernel with Junos OS Evolve. And this is true whether the appliance is physical or virtual. All those virtual network functions (VNFs) run on Linux too! Plus, the open networking revolution currently underway is driving even more access to that Linux kernel and the power (and security) of an open Linux platform through the disaggregation of hardware and software. So, as you celebrate Tux turning 30 this year, remember it’s turtles – I mean Linux – all the way down the infrastructure stack.” – Chris Grundemann
“As people around the world celebrate and discuss 30 years of Linux this year, the focus, rightly so, is on supercomputers and Martian helicopters and many other very developer-centric stories. Against this backdrop I want to highlight the role Linux plays in the underlying network infrastructure. That’s right, routers and switches and firewalls and other appliances; the connective tissue of our internet enabled economy. First, I have to admit that I missed most of the first decade of Linux. But I did build my first ISP on CentOS bridging routers built on IPTables with a bunch of Pearl and Shell scripts about 20 years ago, at the turn of the century. And I do use a Linux desktop all day every day (currently Mint Cinnamon if you’re curious). So, I feel qualified to point out that almost every network and security device available today runs a Linux kernel. Even Juniper Networks Junos OS, originally built on FreeBSD has now shifted to a native Linux kernel with Junos OS Evolve. And this is true whether the appliance is physical or virtual. All those virtual network functions (VNFs) run on Linux too! Plus, the open networking revolution currently underway is driving even more access to that Linux kernel and the power (and security) of an open Linux platform through the disaggregation of hardware and software. So, as you celebrate Tux turning 30 this year, remember it’s turtles – I mean Linux – all the way down the infrastructure stack.” – Chris Grundemann
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