The launch of the new Network Operating System (NOS) by Nokia, along with an intent-based automation and operations toolkit, is a revolutionary step in data center fabrics. With the expanse of traffic growth speculated to be exponentially increasing, cloud builders will need way more room for customizing and flexibility to operate these aggravated data centers. The new Nokia Service Router Linux® (SR Linux) NOS and Nokia Fabric Service Platform (FSP) aim to give this leeway to cloud builders as new technologies like 5G, extensive Internet of things (IoT) and AR/VR come into the picture.
A council of companies was involved with the tech
Nokia did not want to bring out a product and then receive feedback. Rather they reverse-engineered the process by asking leading tech-giants to work closely on creating the ultimate toolkit for the future of cloud computing. The collaborative efforts were headlined by Apple, where a new AR/VR product is in the making. They also plan to launch their first 5G enabled phone this fall. Thus, it is a collaboration that benefits both the companies equally.
The systems in place right now aren’t keeping up
Network Operating Systems being used right now are changing with time, but their fundamentals are so rigid that integration and customization are not possible. And especially with the plethora of new technologies coming our way, the old way isn’t going to work anymore.
So, what’s so good about Nokia’s new launch?
It is the first fully modern microservices-based NOS. Nokia SR Linux is genuinely first of a kind. The SR Linux NDK (NetOps development kit) opens new doors and possibilities in the field of programming. Users can integrate much more easily using more modern technologies and tools such as gRPC (Remote Procedure Call) protobuf, without recompiling, no restriction of languages or dependencies. And the internet protocols have been taken from the already in place, and well-received, service router operating system (SROS). Thus, making SR Linux, the first flexible and open network application development environment.
The move by Apple covers a lot of bases
Apple was one of eight “early adopters” of the technology and toolkit. A press release by Nokia, three days ago, included testimonials by eight companies, headlined by Apple. This move comes amidst news of potential western investment in Nokia or Ericsson 5G. As the only competitor in the field is Huawei, and the western powers do not want to give away the 5G infrastructure to the tech firm.
