[66503] in North American Network Operators' Group
RE: PC Routers (was Re: /24s run amuck)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Michel Py)
Wed Jan 14 21:39:08 2004
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 18:38:49 -0800
From: "Michel Py" <michel@arneill-py.sacramento.ca.us>
To: <alex@pilosoft.com>
Cc: <nanog@merit.edu>
Errors-To: owner-nanog-outgoing@merit.edu
> alex@pilosoft.com wrote:
> o) lack of unified tools to configure and manage:
> Each of those tools has varied degrees of documentation,
> different configuration interface, vastly different
> 'status' interface, different support mailing lists, etc.
> It is much easier for a given organization to find a
> cisco/juniper/etc expert than to find someone who's
> experienced with Linux/FreeBSD network toolchain, and I
> don't foresee that changing anytime soon.
You summarized it very well.
> There are linux and freebsd distributions that aim to
> minimize the "OS" layer to suit router better. Linux
> also has a filesystem that spreads writes across the
> flash area, so you are not likely to write single block
> 100000 times in your life.
This is exactly where Cisco got their act together: they understand that
what's above is exactly the kind of thing that many people are willing
to pay more for in trade for not having to research the issue.
In the end, time is money: each organization has a finite number of good
techs; sometimes there is value in paying more for gear and have your
senior techs available to deal with issues that are directly related to
the business, instead of optimizing the OS filesystem so it does not
wear out the flash.
Michel.
