Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Abstract
the networking industry has an "interesting" (i mean this in the most minnesotan way possible) relationship with open network operating systems. hyperscalers have been deploying them with considerable success for several years now. vendors have made marketing noise around SONiC support, and the trade press treats disaggregation as inevitable. yet practical, operator-focused discussion of what it actually takes to build and sustain an open NOS ecosystem remains remarkably thin on the ground.
this talk expands on a lightning talk originally presented at NANOG 92 and attempts to tackle the uncomfortable middle ground between the hype and the reality. we'll dig into some of the common objections that (vendors) commonly lob.
examples:
- "yeah, but networking's special"
- "yeah, but X is only for hyperscalers"
- etc.
the discussion will examine where these hold up and where they don't. this is not a vendor pitch. it's a concerned and somewhat cynical observer's perspective about what a durable open NOS ecosystem requires - technically, commercially, and politically.
steve ulrich:
Steve Ulrich is a networking dork specializing in data center infrastructure, AI networking, and service provider technologies. He is currently at nexthop.ai, focused on network infrastructure and platform development for hyperscalers. Previously he held engineering roles at Arista Networks, Juniper Networks, and Cisco Systems. He has also presented at NANOG on topics ranging from segment routing and gRPC-based RIB programming to open network operating systems. Within NANOG, he serves on the board of directors as well as the workshop and hackathon committees. He has also served two terms on the program committee and one on the elections committee. He is based in Minnesota.
nanog.org/events/nanog-97/content/5772
Abstract
the networking industry has an "interesting" (i mean this in the most minnesotan way possible) relationship with open network operating systems. hyperscalers have been deploying them with considerable success for several years now. vendors have made marketing noise around SONiC support, and the trade press treats disaggregation as inevitable. yet practical, operator-focused discussion of what it actually takes to build and sustain an open NOS ecosystem remains remarkably thin on the ground.
this talk expands on a lightning talk originally presented at NANOG 92 and attempts to tackle the uncomfortable middle ground between the hype and the reality. we'll dig into some of the common objections that (vendors) commonly lob.
examples:
- "yeah, but networking's special"
- "yeah, but X is only for hyperscalers"
- etc.
the discussion will examine where these hold up and where they don't. this is not a vendor pitch. it's a concerned and somewhat cynical observer's perspective about what a durable open NOS ecosystem requires - technically, commercially, and politically.
steve ulrich:
Steve Ulrich is a networking dork specializing in data center infrastructure, AI networking, and service provider technologies. He is currently at nexthop.ai, focused on network infrastructure and platform development for hyperscalers. Previously he held engineering roles at Arista Networks, Juniper Networks, and Cisco Systems. He has also presented at NANOG on topics ranging from segment routing and gRPC-based RIB programming to open network operating systems. Within NANOG, he serves on the board of directors as well as the workshop and hackathon committees. He has also served two terms on the program committee and one on the elections committee. He is based in Minnesota.
nanog.org/events/nanog-97/content/5772
