Open Network Operating System (SONiC) Challenges
Offering advantages like scalability and flexibility, the white box model results in new challenges for network switch and ASIC businesses. There are numerous issues with the use of an open network operating system (NOS): modification, quality, support, and the overall ownership, which remain open in comparison to the traditional proprietary software managed by a vendor. Overcoming these challenges requires a specific, niche software expertise. The white box reality calls for a new type of technology partner that fits into the new paradigm’s supply chain.
Thanks to the contribution of the growing community, OCP’s SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) has become increasingly popular and is currently the most mature open switch software for data centers. Still, there is a scarcity among vendors’ experience in SONiC integration, adaptation, release management, and support. Businesses such as switch silicon vendors, OEMs/ODMs, and resellers, need a reliable and knowledgeable partner to entrust their SONiC activities. A partner who will guarantee customer satisfaction and secure numerous other benefits.
Why PLVision as Your Open Software Partner?
- A wealth of SONiC experience, since its launch to open source, including integration with various merchant silicons
- Solid experience with SAI and integrating it with various chips and NOSes
- Vast Switch Silicon Software Expertise (Broadcom, Intel, Mellanox, Marvell, Cavium, Barefoot Networks), which is critical in delivering
- SAI/HAL and open NOS projects
- Hands-on experience with SONiC test framework and ability to make adjustments according to business-specific requirements
- Profound knowledge of the release management cycle for network operating systems, as well as switching and routing products
- SAI Challenger, a SONiC-based test framework for SAI, developed by PLVision and available in open source
What is SONiC Care Suite?
SONiC Care Suite was developed on the basis of PLVision’s experience in providing SONiC-based software services to our clients, networking industry leaders, since the launch of the network operating system to open source. Our deep technology expertise, along with a history of successful client deliveries allowed our services to correspond with the various scenarios that businesses are experiencing.
PLVision’s program addresses the key stages of your open networking software adoption and support. Based on the specific needs of your business as a Switch Silicon Vendor, OEM/ODM, or an Enterprise, we can guide you through your SONiC and SAI journey
Whether you’re looking to implement SAI for your product or integrate it with SONiC open software, influentially contribute to the community or keep up with new releases, SONiC Care Suite covers all of it. Just select the appropriate service from our “à la carte” program.
SAI Implementation
As a switch silicon vendor, for a new chip, you need functionality that will empower design wins and be fit to become the basis for next-gen hyper-scale deployments. This requires having a feature-rich, validated SAI (Switch Abstraction Interface) in place.
Starting with the essential feature set, sufficient to run SONiC on your new ASIC, we complete gradual SAI implementation. As a result, you get a SONiC-compliant SAI, meaning it satisfies all technical requirements of this NOS.
The following services are offered on Level 1:
- Switch silicon specific SAI development
- Enabling SONiC features on a new platform
- Resolving issues in existent SAI implementations
- Test lab infrastructure setup and maintenance (CI/CD)
- Regression runs for community versions
- Basic scaling, performance or custom tests
SONiC-Based Product Development
Starting small, with a PoC, we can integrate your networking hardware – switch or router – with SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) and enable further extension and support. We also cover your community engagement to enable your platform in the vanilla version of SONiC.
The following services are offered on Level 1:
- Platform part integration
- Enabling SONiC features on a new platform
- Resolving issues in existent SONiC implementations
- Test lab infrastructure setup and maintenance (CI/CD)
- Regression runs for community versions
- Basic scaling, performance or custom tests
Interested in our view of the SONiC integration for your product and software engineering teams? Download the abstract of an indicative engineering services proposal based on PLVision's experience of SONiC integration on major merchant silicon platforms.
Innovative Features Development
As a switch silicon or network equipment vendor, are you struggling to satisfy your customers’ overwhelming demands of certain functionality in SAI and SONiC? Engage our experts to scale your software capabilities fast.
By implementing innovative features, you will increase your product’s competitive advantage and differentiation. We can also strengthen your influence in the SONiC or SAI community through feature design and following implementation.
The following services are offered on Level 2:
- Design documentation for new features; community collaboration
- Extending SAI implementation to enable support of new features on the hardware level
- Implementation of new components and integration with upcoming SONiC release
- Test implementation to secure the coverage of new features
- New feature testing and SONiC regression runs
SONiC-Based Product Lifecycle Support
As an enterprise, it’s likely you are hunting for valuable features available in new SONiC releases. If you are a hardware vendor, keeping up with SAI or SONiC community progress can be challenging.
PLVision can help enable your platform with SAI or SONiC’s latest version. We secure the quality and provide hardening and stability while adding the features required by your target use cases. The further lifecycle support of your product based on OCP-driven software can easily be handled by our team.
The following services are offered on Level 3:
- Extending SAI implementation to enable support of new version on the hardware level
- Enabling new features introduced in future SONiC releases
- Debugging and investigating end customer issues
- Updating documentation
- Release hardening cycles
- Creating and maintaining testing infrastructure (CI/CD)
- Implementation and execution of product-specific automated tests
- Results analysis and report preparation, release approval based on quality criteria
Are you looking for a fast, simple, and efficient way to secure the quality of your final SAI-based solution? Discover PLVision's SAI Challenger, a re-imagined approach for SAI’s functional and integration testing, based on SONiC’s native infrastructure.
SAI Testing
As a switch silicon vendor, you should secure the SAI library’s quality and evolution with the support of new API versions and SONiC’s releases. Validating SAI through SONiC community tests can be a challenge, but we have a solution. Developed by PLVision and available in open source, SAI Challenger is a framework for fast and simple SAI testing.
The following services are offered on Level 4:
- Building a test environment on the client’s side
- Providing test coverage for SAI library (SAI Challenger adoption)
- Initial analysis of regression test results
- Knowledge transfer enabling the client to use the framework on their side
SONiC Baseline and Regression Testing
Striving to gain control of SAI’s quality as an equipment vendor? Struggling to make sure your SONiC-based product meets the defined quality criteria per release? We will cover QA as a part of your product life-cycle management.
The SONiC test framework and their generic test suite can be adjusted to fit the specifics of your product. Our team will cover the development of new community tests, extending the framework with missing functionalities, and add customer-specific tests. We will also assist you with building an automated test infrastructure.
- Creating and maintaining testing infrastructure (CI/CD)
- Running SONiC community tests
- Product-specific automated tests implementation and execution
- Results analysis and report preparation, release approval based on quality criteria
- Knowledge transfer enabling the client to use the framework on their side
SONiC Testing to Enterprise-Grade Quality
Are you, as an enterprise, seeking the benefits of white boxes and disaggregated architecture? SONiC is a great open software choice. However, as the community test suite lacks coverage for certain business-specific features, customizing it for your needs requires further validation cycles.
We can improve the reliability of your SONiC-based network design by developing new test cases and taking your regression tests to the next level. This secures enterprise-grade quality for your network operations. Increase your in-house team bandwidth by offloading testing of SONiC releases to an experienced technology partner.
- Launching SONiC community tests and extending test coverage
- Integration into business systems: CI/CD, NMS
- DevOps based on your business-specific network design
- Testing of SONiC releases for platforms of your choice