Re: [44net] hardware vs. software

Actually, Linux on x86 hardware is just as much of a "hardware-based" solution as any proprietary OS on proprietary hardware is. In fact, Linux on x86 easily outperforms most proprietary hardware solutions up to and beyond the Cisco 7x00 range, especially with the current Intel architecture systems. Vyatta (now part of Brocade) and others have proven that over and over for the last several years. I hope we can establish something that's vendor neutral, rather than any type of single vendor lock-in. Michael N6MEF ---- In the performance class we are operating in, "hardware based" is not really required. A suitable box (processor and ethernet interfaces) and software (e.g. Linux plus some usermode tools) can do the same thing.