2020 OCP Virtual Summit 

In this event, I will introduce Goldstone, an open-source Network Operating System (NOS) designed for optical packet transponders.

Goldstone builds on several open-source technologies developed by the Open Compute Project (OCP) and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP). These include Open Network Linux (ONL), SONiC, the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI), and the Transponder Abstraction Interface (TAI). Together, these components form a complete open-source networking solution.

At its foundation, Goldstone uses ONL as the base operating system, which provides support for a broad range of open networking hardware. On top of ONL, Kubernetes is used to manage containerized applications, enabling a flexible and modular software architecture.

Depending on the hardware platform, different components are used. If the device includes an Ethernet switch ASIC, SONiC and SAI run as a set of containers. For hardware equipped with coherent optical transponder components, TAI is used instead.

Thanks to this modular design, Goldstone can be expanded to support other types of networking equipment as well. In the future, this could include devices without Ethernet ASICs, such as traditional transponders, ROADMs, or optical amplifiers.

Goldstone originally began as a prototype NOS for Edgecore’s Cassini platform, following a proposal from NTT Electronics. The project later progressed into a production deployment by mixi in Japan.