Linux Kernel Stack

One of the core capabilities of Open NX-OS is the ability to expose all interfaces on the device, including front panel switching ports, as Linux netdevices, which enables:

• Linux utilities for Interface Management: Leverage standard Linux utilities like ifconfig, ethtool, and route to manage network interfaces, routing and associated parameters.
• Linux tools for troubleshooting: Leverage tools like tcpdump, ping, and traceroute to troubleshoot network issues.
• VRF capabilities with Namespaces: Each VRF created within Open NX-OS will have a corresponding namespace in Linux associated with it, maintaining the VRF isolation extends from Open NX-OS to the Linux Kernel
• Linux socket communications: Open NX-OS and user applications use the Linux kernel’s networking stack to send and receive packets to/from the external world. This enables applications that leverage standard Linux sockets, such as, agents and monitoring tools, to work without custom compilation.