Cumulus Networks
Cumulus Networks is a networking software company that provides an open, Linux-based Operating System (OS) and tooling for data center and cloud networking on industry-standard hardware.
- Linux-based open networking OS for data center switches
- Support for disaggregated networking on industry-standard, bare-metal switch hardware
- Automation-friendly networking stack integrated with common DevOps and orchestration tools
- Routing and switching solutions using standard protocols for leaf-spine and other data center architectures
- Tooling for configuration management, monitoring, and lifecycle operations of network infrastructure
More About Cumulus Networks
Cumulus Networks focuses on open networking for data centers by delivering a Linux-based network OS (network OS) that runs on a range of industry-standard, bare-metal switches. The platform is designed for enterprises, cloud providers, and service providers that standardize on leaf-spine or similar scale-out architectures and want a software-centric approach to switching and routing.
The Cumulus offering centers on a network OS that exposes a Linux shell and file system, enabling administrators and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) teams to treat switches as standard Linux servers from an operations perspective. This approach aligns with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices and allows the reuse of existing skills, tooling, and automation frameworks in networking workflows. The system supports common routing and switching protocols such as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), and EVPN/VXLAN (data center networking), which are widely used to build multi-tenant, high-availability fabrics.
In enterprise and institutional environments, Cumulus Networks is typically deployed on Top-of-Rack (TOR) and spine switches in high-density data centers, private clouds, and scale-out storage networks. The software is intended to interoperate with common orchestration and configuration management tools, enabling automated deployment, configuration, and upgrades in a manner consistent with server and application pipelines. This supports repeatable builds and standardized network configurations across many switches.
Architecturally, Cumulus Networks supports disaggregated networking, in which the switch hardware and the network OS are procured and managed separately. The company collaborates with multiple switch hardware vendors so that customers can run the Cumulus OS on supported white-box and branded platforms. This model aligns the network layer with open systems practices seen in compute and storage, where standard hardware is combined with choice of software.
From a marketplace taxonomy standpoint, Cumulus Networks belongs in categories such as data center networking (network OS), network automation (infrastructure-as-code networking), and open networking (disaggregated switching). Its capabilities are used by organizations that want Linux-based workflows, programmatic control, and alignment between network operations and DevOps practices, while maintaining compatibility with established routing and switching protocols and standard data center designs.