In part 1, I discussed installing VyOS on a Mellanox SN2010 Ethernet switch. In this part, I’ll discuss getting VyOS usable on the SN2010, managing noise, and running it on other members of the Mellanox Spectrum switch family, like the SN3800.
Why, again Mellanox’s Spectrum family of switches (SNxxxx models) are unique among high-powered Ethernet switches in that they’re completelyWell, almost completely. Supposedly they have some features (like MPLS support) that aren’t exposed via Linux’s switchdev interface, but they’re still vastly more open than any of their competitors.
controllable via Linux without needing a proprietary switch OS or NDAed binary driver. The stock Linux kernel includes a driver that can offload almost all L2 and L3 switch functions to the switch ASIC, so you can configure an N-port switch just like it was actually N “normal” Linux interfaces, and the kernel will configure the switch ASIC to handle everything without the kernel even being involved. The kernel just acts as the control plane for the switch and isn’t involved in (most) data operations.It still deals with ARP and other high-level protocols that the switch can’t handle directly, like LLDP, OSPF, BGP, and so forth.
While it’s very cool that Linux can be used to configure the switch just by using normal config commands (ip, ifconfig, brctl, bridge, route, etc), functionally speaking those are lousy tools for managing a non-trivial network device. So, instead I’m trying to teach VyOS how to control the switch. There are only a few minor issues that need to be handled,Weirdly, the biggest issue is switch device naming.
and it should be perfectly possible to use completely generic VyOS with Mellanox switches, once those issues are fixed.

scottstuff.net

A hands-on account of running VyOS on Mellanox Spectrum switches (SN2010 and SN3800) using the Linux switchdev kernel driver. Covers fan noise reduction via 3D-printed cover and USB-powered 120mm fans, the process of installing VyOS on the SN3800 including firmware upgrade challenges with mstflint/mstfwmanager, and the key technical hurdle of network interface naming. The mlxsw driver provides enough udev information to use swXpY naming, but VyOS's regex-heavy codebase needs patching to accept those names — a PR is open for this. Also touches on upcoming work for split interfaces and improved offload statistics in VyOS's UI.

VyOS on a Mellanox Switch, Part 2

Getting VyOS working with switchport devices