Is the IOS linux-based?

hectorjhrdz

I don't know where, but i heard about the IOS is a linux-based OS.

Is it true?

cheers

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Comments

Johnny 5

Hmm if it is, that's news to me! I think Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 are a lot more based on Unix / Linux than Cisco IOS ever was...

However, some of Cisco's newer Voice over IP Products are Linux based. CallManager 5.0 runs on top of Linux, and Unity Express is a Linux appliance that plugs in to a router.

Slowhand

The early IOS was, in essence, a stripped-down Unix install. Keep in mind, though, this was well before Linux was even a shimmer in Linus Torvald's eye. Since then, the IOS has evolved into an operating system all its own, and only retains some throwbacks to its Unix roots.

mikej412

Slowhand wrote:

The early IOS was, in essence, a stripped-down Unix install.

Before there was Cisco there were UNIX boxes acting as routers (and gateways)

So thinking back to those days.... I'd guess Cisco hired some UNIX programmers, rather than VAX programmers, to code the IOS.

Most of the "histories of Cisco" do state that IOS is UNIX based.... UNIX derived.... UNIX inspired.... etc

I still think they should have included vi, or at least ed in the IOS and used that to allow better ACL editing.

Slowhand

mikej412 wrote:

I still think they should have included vi, or at least ed in the IOS and used that to allow better ACL editing.

There ya go. I'm all for built-in tools for editing and working. Just so long as they don't include emacs. . . *shudder*

Humper

Johnny 5 wrote:

Hmm if it is, that's news to me! I think Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 are a lot more based on Unix / Linux than Cisco IOS ever was...

Where do you get Windows like from a Cisco CLI??? The only comparison I think would be DOS Prompt!!!! Even then Windows can't spell traceroute right!!

JDMurray

ModemHumper wrote:

Johnny 5 wrote:

Hmm if it is, that's news to me! I think Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 are a lot more based on Unix / Linux than Cisco IOS ever was...

Where do you get Windows like from a Cisco CLI??? The only comparison I think would be DOS Prompt!!!! Even then Windows can't spell traceroute right!!

MS-DOS 2.0 and later were inspired by Bell Labs UNIX systems. MS-DOS 2.0 was a complete re-write from the 1.x releases and they had to model it on something (I guess the IBM OSes were not to Bill's taste). The reason DOS uses backslashes in its paths, and not slashes like UNIX, is because slashes were already used by MS-DOS as command line flag separators.