[Discuss] Cisco's IOx architecture

[tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)]

Is running applications on your router really such a good idea?

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/31/in-a-distributed-world-cache-is-king-why-routers-are-becoming-the-new-server/
[...]
  Cisco's IOx architecture will be a Linux-based operating system that
  will be embedded in forthcoming industrial routers.

  And unlike its previous box software, Cisco says it plans to open the
  IOx architecture up for others to run their own applications on, but
  that will remain to be seen. Cisco sums it up in its release like
  this:

    To better monitor, manage and respond to the massive amount of data
    generated by IoT, IOx allows applications to run as close as
    possible to the data source and create automated responses that
    drive value.

  Cisco isn't alone. In the residential world, Qualcomm has a similar
  vision for the humble router, turning it into a content cache, and a
  computer set to manage a house full of connected devices, including
  running algorithms that govern which devices things can talk to and
  when they might have access to the internet.


So I guess it depends on how you interpret "applications." The idea of
having an open router platform is great. The ability to add a Snort
agent on your router makes sense. But running general server
applications there is probably a bad idea.

I get why Qualcomm wold want to do this for the home market. In many
homes the router is the closest thing they have to a server. The only
thing holding back consumer routers from being bloated with
functionality is the competing desire to run them on cheap hardware. As
the hardware increasingly gets more capable, manufacturers will continue
stuffing more features unrelated to routing into them.

I'm not sure I get the particular scenario Qualcomm describes where all
the little connected devices in your house need a local cache of data.
Is that so every device that displays the current weather doesn't have
to retrieve that info by traversing your last mile link?


I wonder if IOx will be open to the extent that you'll be able to run it
on your own hardware. If its any good, that could open up some new
avenues for pro-grade D-I-Y routers. Particularly if it is ported to ARM
(if Cisco's build isn't already targeting ARM architecture).

Anyone surprised they built this on Linux instead of *BSD, given the
latter's reputation in security circles? I guess the dominance and
familiarity with Linux in the enterprise market trumps that.

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA
"Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting."
http://www.theperlshop.com/