Vyatta is shipping version 2.0 of its dual-licensed, Debian Linux-based router distribution. Vyatta Subscription Edition 2.0 (VS2), optionally available with Dell hardware, aims to enable hosting facilities, Internet service providers, and enterprises to replace pricey proprietary router hardware with… commodity PCs.

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Vyatta says VS2 delivers the features, performance, and reliability of an enterprise-class router, firewall and VPN, while running on commodity PC hardware. The software is optionally available pre-integrated on Dell PowerEdge server hardware.

Vyatta is available pre-integrated on a Dell PowerEdge server

New features in release 2.0 of the Subscription Edition include support for VPN (virtual private networking) functionality — one of the top vote-getters on the company's top feature requests page.

Vyatta two weeks ago released Vyatta Community Edition 2.0 (VC2), which featured a move to a full Debian Linux undercarriage, for enhanced user serviceability. Vyatta does not specify whether VS2 is also based on Debian; however, it seems likely that the two platforms are similar, except for their licensing terms.

Michael Jarrett, CEO of Vyatta customer QuesGen, stated, “Combining standard x86 hardware with Vyatta's great software and support enables us to deploy a high-performance, quality network solution at unmatched economics.”

Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst with Infonetics Research, stated, “For enterprise customers, VPN is an important and required feature. Vyatta's open source router/firewall/VPN offers a compelling cost reduction in comparison to proprietary solutions.”

Vyatta CEO Kelly Herrell, formerly of MontaVista, stated, “This release is an important milestone for Vyatta. One year ago we introduced our beta release, and in the short period of time since, we have advanced our commercial product to the current 2.0 status.”

Availability

Vyatta Subscription Edition 2.0 is available now, priced at $500, or $1,800 when pre-installed on Dell PowerEdge hardware — approximately half the cost of proprietary routers with similar features and stability, Vyatta claims.

Also available as a 97MB freely downloadable ISO CD-ROM image is Vyatta's Community Edition 2.0 release. In addition to a Debian Linux environment, the distribution offers the open-source xorp routing shell, along with a xorp-like Web GUI, and ssh/telnet interfaces. Install scripts enable easy installation to hard drives or CF cards of 256MB or greater, and comprehensive professionally written documentation is available separately. Vyatta's website also hosts a community Wiki and four mailing lists.

 
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