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NOVEMBER 29, 2004
By Alex Salkever Does XORP Have Cisco's Number? The open-source project aims to nurture cheap and simple routing software. If it clicks, the networking giant has a fight on its hands Atanu Ghosh wants to turn the data-networking world on its head. A prominent researcher at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, Calif., Ghosh leads an ambitious project to build the next Internet traffic cop and, he hopes, the next open-source rebellion. The project is called the Extensible Open Router Platform, or XORP. Its goal is to provide a free open-source software product that will route data through computer networks using cheap hardware and microprocessors from the likes of Intel (INTC ). BIG BACKERS. If it's a success, XORP could become a low-cost alternative to expensive machines from Cisco Systems (CSCO ) and other companies that dominate the market for computer-networking gear. "There are lots of areas where networking is very important right now," Ghosh says. "We want to build a community around this project." XORP's first version was released in July, and heavier-duty versions are due in coming years. While it's hardly the first effort to make routing software in an open-source format, it may be the most promising, due to $3 million in funding from high-powered backers such as Intel, Microsoft (MSFT ), and the National Science Foundation. That could be an ominous sign for outfits whose bread and butter is selling computer-networking gear. Sales of those products should top $13 billion this year, according to San Jose (Calif.) telecom and networking market researcher Dell'Oro Group. CISCO'S DOMAIN. If Ghosh can convert his project from the wonky, early-stage computer code made public in July to sturdy software that can competently run corporate networks, will Cisco get Linuxed? Probably not any time soon, analysts say. The networking giant, which continued to gain market share in the third quarter of 2004, is certainly aware of the open-source threat. In fact, it's already selling a line of cheap networking gear for the consumer market based on another type of open-source software, Linux. But just like the Linux operating system in servers and PCs, open-source software in networking equipment could become a viable competitor over time. No question, computer networking is a bigger challenge for open-source enthusiasts because networking gear is a bit more complicated than a plain old PC. Networking products can be split into two main categories, switches and routers. Routers determine the most efficient path for everything from streaming videos to e-mails to instant messages. Cisco dominates that segment with a market share north of 70%. PUSH TO COMMODITIZE. Routers are more expensive and have a higher capacity. Big telecommunications companies, Internet-service providers, and large companies use routers to control flows of data on their networks. In that segment, Cisco is less dominant. Increasingly, businesses are also using these devices to provide phone services over the Internet and to protect corporate networks from hackers. A router or switch usually has a specialized operating system designed to route traffic running inside a customized piece of hardware that's filled with integrated circuits. Some, such as those from Juniper Networks (JNPR ), run on Unix operating-system software. Cisco uses an operating system called IOS that it built from scratch decades ago. As more and more routers and switches go into corporate offices, the push for cheap alternatives based on open-source software is likely to pick up steam. "The driver behind Linux is the same as the driver behind open-source routing. As soon as something becomes ubiquitous, it gets much easier to commoditize it. And that's what most [customers] want," says Tom Nolle, CEO of network-infrastructure consultancy CIMI Corp. in Voorhees, N.J.
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