Who is DENT?
DENT is an open-source network Operating System (OS) project focused on enabling disaggregated, Linux-based switching for enterprise and edge environments.
- Open-source Linux-based network OS for ethernet switches (networking)
- Focus on disaggregated white-box switching using standard Linux kernel, switchdev, and related components (networking)
- Ecosystem of hardware vendors, integrators, and users collaborating around a common NOS stack (networking)
- Support for enterprise, campus, and edge deployments, including retail and remote-site use cases (networking)
- Community-driven governance under an open-source foundation model, with public code, documentation, and tooling (open-source infrastructure)
Show more
More About DENT
DENT is an open-source network OS (networking) designed to run on disaggregated, white-box ethernet switches using the standard Linux kernel and switchdev infrastructure. Its goal is to provide a common, upstream-aligned NOS that uses Linux as the primary control plane and data plane abstraction, minimizing proprietary layers and custom Software Development Kit (SDK) dependencies. This approach allows enterprises and solution providers to treat network switches more like standard Linux servers from an operations, automation, and lifecycle perspective.
DENT targets enterprise, campus, and edge environments where organizations deploy Top-of-Rack (TOR), aggregation, or access switches, including environments such as retail stores, remote branches, and industrial or Internet of Things (IoT) sites. By using commodity switching hardware and a shared Linux-based software stack, DENT supports procurement and deployment models based on hardware and software disaggregation, where buyers can select compatible platforms from multiple vendors while maintaining a consistent OS and management interface.
Technically, DENT builds on upstream Linux networking components, including the Linux kernel, switchdev (which provides a hardware offload model for ASICs), and standard user-space tools for configuration and management. It integrates routing, switching, and policy features using existing Linux facilities such as iproute2, netlink, nftables or iptables, and related networking daemons where applicable. Compared with traditional proprietary network operating systems that often rely on vendor-specific SDKs and closed management interfaces, DENT emphasizes use of the Linux kernel as the primary abstraction layer, which enables reuse of standard Linux automation frameworks and DevOps tooling.
From an enterprise architecture perspective, DENT can be positioned in several marketplace categories, including data center and campus switching (networking), network operating systems for white-box hardware (networking), and edge networking platforms for remote or distributed locations (edge networking). Its use of an upstream-focused Linux stack can make it suitable for organizations that want to align network operations with existing Linux server operations, including use of configuration management tools, Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and container-based workflows.
DENT is developed in an open community model, with code, documentation, and reference designs maintained in public repositories. Hardware vendors may provide DENT-ready switch platforms, while systems integrators and solution providers can build tailored solutions on top of the base NOS, adding monitoring, orchestration, or vertical-specific applications. For enterprise technical stakeholders, DENT represents an option to consolidate on a single, Linux-based NOS across diverse switching hardware while maintaining flexibility in vendor selection and deployment architecture.
Our description of DENT. Updated December 2025.
