CISCO Linksys WRT160N

Its more like just a basic CLI. Long before any GUI programs existed, most things lived just as a command line interface. The unix shell is just one example. Cisco routers have long been CLI based, but they certainly weren't the first. CLI is much more generic than Cisco's command shell.

Most Cisco routers don't run linux (although that seems to be changing with NX/SAN-OS, even then they only use the linux scheduler and base OS with their own IP stack and support code). They've long supported NAT with their own code, way before ipfilters/iptables existed... Cisco has been around a very long time.

Most Cisco routers traditionally run IOS, although newer ones have different OS options like IOS-XE, IOS-XR, NS-OS, SAN-OS, etc. Current plain IOS revs are in 12.4 range. It again has been around some time, with 9.1 coming out sometime in the early 1990's. Clearly based on some Unix concepts, its definately not Unix. They've branched out lately with different OS's, either again of their own design, or based on some linux scheduler.

Can't even be compared close to Unix, or a derivative of unix. It has some unix concepts, but nothing at all like unix.

OSX isn't an interface to Darwin, it *is* Darwin. Based on Mach, with a BSD compatibility layer. (ie. Not BSD, but many userland utils, the TCP/IP stack, etc. from FreeBSD).

NX-OS runs the linux kernel, but I wouldn't say its an "interface" to linux, they use the kernel to their advantage, but everything you see, everything that goes in and out through those boxes goes through Cisco code.

Thanks for your response, this has been very helpful. Is the CLI interface the same thing that VxWorks uses in Motorola Cable modems?

Just a point of reference when I was talking about Darwin what I meant was that it was BSD based rather than System V based, but on the re-read on my post that didn't come across at all, and point taken about OSX not being an interface to Darwin it is Darwin, but to me and this is only to me. The MAC GUI is quite separate to traditional XWindows systems, but that is my ignorance, what I should do is look up what the MAC GUI is called.

Thanks again for your response. Is NX-OS open source. I am very interested in having a look at it as well as some of the other OS's you mentioned.

Thanks once again for your response.

Aaron

That would most likely be one example of a CLI. The DOS shell would be another.

Aqua.

No, they wouldn't release their parts of it as opensource. They probably have the linux kernel up that they are using somewhere on their huge site, but that doesn't mean the code they also use has to be opensource. Most of all of that is definately closed source..

Thanks alot for your response, everything you have said makes alot of sense and has cleared up alot of issues that I previously had.

IOS (Internetwork Operating System) is definately home grown.

I think that :-

- Some older wireless access points used VxWorks. - The new modular IOS which allows incremental on-line upgrades (e.g. new drivers just as linux/windows does) is based on something they have bought in. This is only on a few platforms at present. 6500. - Cisco see themselves as a *software* company.

You might like to keep an eye on media coverage of FSF vs. Cisco if you're interested in further details of how it all fits together. Story so far: Cisco-branded stuff is designed in the US and made in China. Linksys-branded stuff is designed in China and made in China.

Thanks for that I have started looking into this. By the looks of things this affects several different routers and is the first time the FSF has filed a complaint. It will be interesting to see what happens.