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diff --git a/docs/introducing/history.rst b/docs/introducing/history.rst index 9a13e2b3..49eda65e 100644 --- a/docs/introducing/history.rst +++ b/docs/introducing/history.rst @@ -4,44 +4,127 @@ History ####### -VyOS is a Linux-based network operating system that provides software-based -network routing, firewall, and VPN functionality. - -The VyOS project was started in late 2013 as a community fork of the -`GPL <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License>`_ portions of -Vyatta Core 6.6R1 with the goal of maintaining a free and open source network -operating system in response to the decision to discontinue the community -edition of Vyatta. Here everyone loves learning, older managers and new users. - -VyOS is primarily based on `Debian GNU/Linux <https://www.debian.org/>`_ and -the `Quagga <http://www.nongnu.org/quagga/>`_ routing engine. Its configuration -syntax and :ref:`cli` are loosely derived from Juniper JUNOS as modelled by the -`XORP project <http://www.xorp.org/>`_, which was the original routing engine -for Vyatta. - -In the 4.0 release of Vyatta, the routing engine was changed to Quagga. As of -VyOS version 1.2, VyOS now uses `FRRouting <https://frrouting.org/>`_ as the -routing engine. - -How is VyOS different from any other router distributions and platform? - -- It's more than just a firewall and VPN, VyOS includes extended routing - capabilities like OSPFv2, OSPFv3, BGP, VRRP, and extensive route policy - mapping and filtering -- Unified command line interface in the style of hardware routers. -- Scriptable CLI -- Stateful configuration system: prepare changes and commit at once or discard, - view previous revisions or rollback to them, archive revisions to remote - server and execute hooks at commit time -- Image-based upgrade: keep multiple versions on the same system and revert to - previous image if a problem arises -- Multiple VPN capabilities: OpenVPN, IPSec, Wireguard, DPMVPN, IKEv2 and more -- DHCP, TFTP, mDNS repeater, broadcast relay and DNS forwarding support -- Both IPv4 and IPv6 support -- Runs on physical and virtual platforms alike: small x86 boards, big servers, - KVM, Xen, VMware, Hyper-V, and more -- Completely free and open source, with documented internal APIs and build - procedures -- Community driven. Patches are welcome and all code, bugs, and nightly builds - are publicly accessible +In the beginning... +=================== +There once was a network operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux, +called Vyatta. [*]_ 2006 onwards, it was a great free software +alternative to Cisco IOS and Jupiter JUNOS. It came in two editions: +Vyatta Core (previously Vyatta Community Edition) that was completely +free software, and Vyatta Subscription Edition that had proprietary +features and was only available to paying customers. [*]_ + +Vyatta was acquired by Brocade Communication Systems in 2012. Shortly +after, Brocade renamed Vyatta Subscription Edition to Brocade vRouter, +discontinued Vyatta Core and shut down the community forum without a +notice. The bug tracker and Git repositories followed next year. + +It's worth noting that by the time Brocade acquired Vyatta, +development of Vyatta Core was already stagnated. Vyatta Subscription +Edition (and thus, Vyatta development as a whole) had been replacing +core components with proprietary software, meaning few features made +it to Vyatta Core, and those that did were bug-ridden and hamstrung. + +In 2013, soon after Vyatta Core was abandoned, the community forked +the last Vyatta Core version (6.6R1) and VyOS Project came into being. +`Sentrium SL <https://blog.vyos.io/sentrium-what-sentrium>`_ was +established by VyOS maintainers in 2014 to fund VyOS development by +selling support, consulting services and prebuilt long-term support +images. + +Brocade was acquired by Broadcom in 2016 and sold what remains of +erstwhile Vyatta to AT&T in 2017, who in turn sold it to Ciena in 2021. + + +Major releases +============== + +VyOS major versions used to be named after elements in order of atomic +numbers. With 1.2, this naming scheme was replaced with the much +cooler scheme of Latin names of IAU designated constellations by solid +angle area, starting from the smallest. + +Hydrogen (1.0) +-------------- + +Released just in time for holidays in 22 December 2013, Hydrogen was +the first major VyOS release. It fixed features that were broken in +Vyatta Core 6.6 (such as IPv4 BGP peer groups and DHCPv6 relay) and +introduced command scripting, a task scheduler and web proxy LDAP +authentication. + +Helium (1.1) +------------ + +Helium was released in 9 October 2014, exactly on the day VyOS Project +first came into being in the previous year. Helium came with a lot of +new features, including an event handler and support for L2TPv3, +802.1ad QinQ and IGMP proxy, as well as experimental support for VXLAN +and DMVPN (the latter of which was also broken in Vyatta Core due to +its reliance on a proprietary NHRP implementation). + +Crux (1.2) +---------- + +Crux (the Southern Cross) came out in 28 January 2019 and was the +first major release of VyOS as we know it today. The underlying +Debian base was upgraded from Squeeze (6) to Jessie (8). + +Although Crux came with too many new features to mention here, some +noteworthy ones are: an mDNS repeater, a broadcast relay, +a high-performance PPPoE server, an HFSC scheduler, as well as support +for Wireguard, unicast VRRP, RPKI for BGP and fully 802.1ad-compliant +QinQ ethertype. The telnet server and support for P2P filtering were +removed. + +Crux is the first version to feature the modular image build system. +CLI definitions began to be written in the modern, verifiable XML +templates. Python APIs were introduced for command scripting and +configuration migration. Introduction of new Perl and shell code was +proscribed and the rewriting of legacy Perl code in pure Python began +with Crux. + +As of 2022, Crux is still supported and maintained. + +Equuleus (1.3) +-------------- + +The current long-term support version of VyOS, Equuleus (the Pony) +came out in 21 December 2021, once again in time for the winter +holidays. + +Equuleus brought many long-desired features with it, most notably +an SSTP VPN server, an IPoE server, an OpenConnect VPN server and +a serial console server, in addition to reworked support for WWAN +interfaces, support for GENEVE and MACSec interfaces, VRF, IS-IS +routing, preliminary support for MPLS and LDP, and many other +initialisms. + +As of 2022, Equuleus is in the stable. + +Sagitta (1.4) +------------- + +Sagitta (the Arrow) is the codename of the current development +branch, so there's no VyOS 1.4 yet. + +A note on copyright +=================== + +Unlike Vyatta, VyOS never had (nor will ever have) proprietary code. +The only proprietary material in VyOS is non-code assets, such as +graphics and the term "VyOS". [*]_ This means you can build your own +long-term support images (as the entire toolchain we use is free +software) and even distribute them, given you rename it and remove +such assets before building. Although note that we do not provide +support for images distributed by a third-party. See the +`artwork license <https://github.com/vyos/vyos-build/blob/current/LICENSE.artwork>`_ +and the end-user license agreement at `/usr/share/doc/vyos/EULA` in any +pre-built image for more precise information. + + +.. [*] From the Sanskrit adjective "Vyātta" (व्यात्त), meaning opened. +.. [*] A business model comparable to that of Redis, rather than that + of VyOS today. +.. [*] This is not unlike how Linus Torvalds owns copyright of the + term "Linux". |