In this chapter, we discussed the multitude of open and closed hardware and software systems available to network architects. Many of these systems are very similar to each other. This is due to the fact that the industry is converging on designs based on the same hardware including forwarding chips from Broadcom, Cavium, and others.
The main decision from the design side is whether there will be open networking equipment in the design. You can build a NGN from completely proprietary equipment, so the inclusion of open networking equipment is optional, but in our mind it is a good idea.
We discussed the OCP, its goals, and members including Juniper Networks and now Cisco, who are both mostly in the proprietary networking space.
In the next chapter, we will explore OpenFlow and its use in networking.