Shortest Path Bridging

[keefe007]

So OpenWRT supports Openflow and Openflow supports shortest path bridging. Therefore, we should be able to get an implementation of SPB working on these switches in the future, right?

[sirhc]

This is where you guys keep getting confused and I keep explaining this over and over again same as back on UBNT forum before I got banned.

You are thinking of a software switch running on a computer using ethernet ports.

What Netonix, UBNT, and ANY switch manufacturer uses is what is called a "switch core". Yes we do use Linux to drive the UI, CLI, and "control" some features of the core externally like MSTP, or loop protection and such but the CORE is a switch all of it own with all of the switch features pre-defined by the chipset manufacturer with it's own internal software pre loaded or burned in to the chip at manufacturing. Now there are ways to inject HOT FIXES into the core software if needed but essentially a switch core is made with all the features it can or ever will have. Then people like us or UBNT decide which features they want to use and what they want their UI or interface to run on where as we chose OPEN-WRT.

Now we could have used the WEB STAX platform which is Linux like and is provided by the manufactures in our case VITESSE and we could have customized it but all we are really doing is working with what ever tools or features the core has, you can not add features. Now UBNT used Broadcom switch core and they used Broadcom's software as their starting point and customized the web UI.

Just like why I said the added processor in the Titanium radios did NOT help you get faster speeds if you are not using routing or NAT as the processor was just used to drive the UI. Now if you had an airMAX radio configured to do routing or NAT then the CPU became a factor but not if the radio was in bridge mode.

SO with the TOughSwitch UBNT used a Broadcom BCM-53118 switch core which did not have an internal MIPS cpu and such to drive the UI so they added and Atheros AR-7240 SOC (same as used in all their airMAX radios) which had a MIPS CPU to run their UI and configure the core. The AR-7240 actually has 5 10/100 ports and PHYs built into it which UBNT used 1 for the management 10/100 port.

The BCM-53118 switch core was meant to be used to build small home or office switches according to the Broadcom web site, you know, those $50 switches you buy at Staples.

In fact many non manageable switches actually use switch cores that are capable of being managed with many features but unless you add an SOC or external processor their is no way to configure the core so by default it just acts like a dumb switch since their is no way to configure the core features.

Now our switch core is capable of many many more feature then we are allowing you to configure as we did not want a complicated interface cluttering everything up. If you knew what you were doing you could actually configure all or most of these unimplemented core features from the Linux command line but the configuration would not be saved and you would lose it all on a reboot. Our switch core does support MSTP although we currently only allow RSTP.

Our switch core is the VSC-7427
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... qHHOOgeVWg

The ToughSwitch uses the BCM-53118
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... _-Gq4JbHzQ