Networking Definition · Open Routing · Service Provider

What Is a White Box Router?

A white box router is an open routing platform built on merchant silicon and sold separately from its network operating system, so the operator chooses the routing software it runs. Service providers use them from the cell site to the core. IP Infusion develops OcNOS-SP and ships it as complete, validated routing systems on open hardware.

About OcNOS-SP See validated routers
40+validated open platforms
700+OcNOS features mapped
Cell site to corerouter roles in the HCL
Qumran, Jericho2C+Broadcom routing silicon

Open router, disaggregated router, white box router

The three names describe one model. The router hardware is built by a manufacturer that sells to many operators, packets are forwarded by a commercial routing chip, and the network operating system is chosen, licensed, and upgraded separately. The operator decides which routing software runs on the box, and can keep that software when the hardware changes.

  • What makes it a router. Routing silicon such as Broadcom Qumran and Jericho2C+ is built for large forwarding tables, packet buffering, and MPLS label operations. A service provider router also needs precise timing at the cell site and, at the edge and core, a control plane that holds large routing tables.
  • What makes it white box. The platform accepts an operating system from a supplier other than its maker. The hardware, the chip, and the software can each come from a different company.
  • What stays the operator's choice. Routing protocols, service features, automation interfaces, and the support contract all follow the NOS, not the faceplate.

The data center counterpart is the white box switch, and both are forms of network disaggregation. This page covers what changes when the device is a service provider router.

White box routers from the cell site to the core

Service providers, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 ISPs, regional telcos, carriers, and mobile and broadband operators, use open routers in three places. Each asks different things of the hardware and the software.

Cell site router

The router at the base station, also called a cell site gateway. It carries mobile backhaul and midhaul, and hands precise PTP and SyncE timing to the radio. Compact, low-capacity platforms fit here.

5G cell site router

Aggregation router

Collects traffic from many cell sites or access nodes and carries Layer 2 and Layer 3 services across the metro, typically with SR-MPLS and EVPN over MPLS.

EVPN over MPLS

Core router

The highest-capacity routers in the network, running the IGP, BGP, and segment routing with fast reroute. Some core platforms are also listed for IP over DWDM.

SR-MPLS and TI-LFA

What an open router changes for an operator

Buying the router and its software separately gives a service provider more control over both. It also moves integration and test work that an integrated router vendor used to absorb.

What it gives you

  • More than one hardware source. Several makers build routers on the same routing chips, so a role such as cell site or aggregation can be filled from more than one supplier.
  • One operating system across roles. The same NOS from the cell site to the core means one configuration model, one automation toolchain, and one set of operator skills.
  • A software lifecycle of its own. Features arrive through software releases, and the platform can be refreshed without retraining the operations team.

What it asks of you

  • Interoperability with the existing network. New routers have to work with the MPLS, BGP, and timing already deployed, which needs testing before the first site goes live.
  • Timing validation. At the cell site, timing depends on the NOS, the hardware, and the clock design together. It has to be proven per platform, not assumed.
  • A support model. A fault at a remote site needs one clear owner. With separate hardware and software suppliers, that ownership has to be agreed in advance.

A validated system takes these on. OcNOS Systems are open routers and switches delivered ready to deploy: OcNOS-SP runs on hardware validated by IP Infusion and listed in the Hardware Compatibility List, and the Feature Matrix shows which features each platform supports before a router is ordered.

White box routers validated with OcNOS-SP

OcNOS-SP is the IP Infusion network operating system for service provider routers. The platforms below are the OcNOS-SP entries in the Hardware Compatibility List, grouped by their main role. HCL roles: csr for cell site router, agg for aggregation, core, edge, and ipodwdm for platforms listed for IP over DWDM.

Main roleASICCapacityPlatformsHCL roles
Cell siteQumran UX (BCM88273)32 GbpsUfiSpace S9502-12SM; UfiSpace S9502-12SM-NT; UfiSpace S9502-16SMT; Edgecore AS5915-16X (CSR180)csr, edge
Cell siteQumran UX (BCM88272)64 GbpsUfiSpace S9501-18SMT; Edgecore AS5915-18X (CSR200)csr, edge
Cell siteQumran UX (BCM88270)120 GbpsUfiSpace S9501-28SMTcsr, agg
Cell siteQumran AX (BCM88470)300 GbpsUfiSpace S9500-22XSTagg, csr
AggregationQumran AX (BCM88470)300 GbpsUfiSpace S9500-30XS; Edgecore AS7315-27X (CSR310)agg
AggregationQumran 2U (BCM88280)360 GbpsUfiSpace S9510-30XCagg
AggregationQumran 2U (BCM88284)360 GbpsEdgecore AS7515-24X (CSR430)agg
AggregationQumran MX (BCM88375)800 GbpsEdgecore AS5916-54XKS (AGR130)agg, edge
AggregationQumran MX (BCM88370)800 GbpsEdgecore AS5916-54XL (AGR110)agg, edge
AggregationQumran 2A (BCM88483)800 GbpsUfiSpace S9510-28DC; Edgecore AS7535-28XB (CSR440)agg, ipodwdm
CoreQumran 2C (BCM88820)2,400 GbpsUfiSpace S9600-32X; UfiSpace S9600-72XC; Edgecore AS7946-74XKSB (AGR420)core, agg
CoreQumran 2C (BCM88820)2,400 GbpsUfiSpace S9600-28DX; Edgecore AS7946-30XB (AGR400)core, ipodwdm
CoreQumran 2C (BCM88820)4,800 GbpsUfiSpace S9600-56DXcore, ipodwdm
CoreQumran 2C (BCM88820) Dual4,800 GbpsUfiSpace S9600-64Xcore
CoreQumran2c+ (BCM88840)7,200 GbpsUfiSpace S9610-46DXcore, ipodwdm
CoreJericho2C+ (BCM88851)7,200 GbpsEdgecore AS9947-36XKB (AGR560)core, ipodwdm
CoreJericho2C+ (BCM88850_A1)14,400 GbpsUfiSpace S9610-36Dcore, ipodwdm

Integrated router, white box router, or validated open system

Three ways to put a router into a service provider network. The routing chip may be the same in all three; what differs is who integrates, who tests, and how much choice remains later.

QuestionTraditional integrated routerSelf-assembled white box routerValidated open system
Hardware sourceThe router vendorAny maker the operator selectsOpen hardware from a published compatibility list
Operating systemFixed to the vendorChosen by the operatorChosen by the operator, delivered with the hardware
Who integratesThe vendorThe operatorThe software supplier
Who tests timing and servicesThe vendorThe operator, per platformThe software supplier, per platform
Mix hardware makers in one roleRarelyYes, if the NOS supports each modelYes, within the validated list
Feature visibilityVendor datasheetsDepends on the NOS supplierPublished per platform before purchase

White Box Router FAQ

What is a white box router?
A white box router is an open routing platform built on merchant silicon and sold separately from its network operating system. The operator chooses the routing software, and the same software can run on routers from more than one hardware maker. Service providers use white box routers at the cell site, in aggregation, and in the core.
Are an open router and a disaggregated router the same thing?
Yes, the terms describe the same model. Open router stresses that the hardware accepts more than one operating system; disaggregated router stresses that hardware and software are bought as separate layers. White box router is the most common name for both.
What is the difference between a white box router and a white box switch?
Both are open hardware on merchant silicon. A white box router uses a routing ASIC built for large forwarding tables, packet buffering, and MPLS services, and runs a routing-focused NOS. A white box switch uses a switching ASIC built for dense, high-capacity Ethernet, mostly in data centers.
What is a cell site router?
A cell site router, also called a cell site gateway, is the router at a mobile base station. It connects the radio equipment to the transport network, carries backhaul or midhaul traffic, and distributes precise timing to the radio. OcNOS-SP runs on open cell site routers from Edgecore and UfiSpace built on Broadcom Qumran UX and Qumran AX silicon. The 5G cell site router solution covers timing profiles, xHaul transport, and the cell site platforms in full.
Can a white box router run MPLS and segment routing?
Yes, when the network operating system supports them. OcNOS-SP runs SR-MPLS with TI-LFA and SR-TE, SRv6, EVPN over MPLS and segment routing, and MPLS traffic engineering with RSVP-TE on open routing hardware.
Which white box routers run OcNOS-SP?
OcNOS-SP is validated on routers from Edgecore and UfiSpace built on Broadcom Qumran and Jericho2C+ silicon, from 32 Gbps cell site routers to a 14,400 Gbps core router. The OcNOS Hardware Compatibility List shows every validated platform and its roles.

Planning an open router rollout? Start with the validated list.

Check which routers run OcNOS-SP in each role, see the features each one supports, or ask an IP Infusion engineer to match platforms to your cell site, aggregation, and core design.

Hardware Compatibility List Feature Matrix Contact us

Go deeper. Take it with you.

Two short, technical downloads that go further than this page: the full OcNOS-SP datasheet and the SR-MPLS upgrade brief.

Datasheet

OcNOS-SP Datasheet

Full OcNOS-SP specification: the access, cell site and aggregation feature set, software SKUs, supported hardware platforms, and the solution ordering guide.

Get the datasheet
Solution Brief

SR-MPLS Upgrade with OcNOS

Migrate SR-MPLS onto OcNOS on open hardware: Flex-Algo, TI-LFA, and a node-by-node cutover path.

Get the brief