3 Overview of COTS and Whitebox

The arrival of low cost network equipment seems to have happened overnight. In fact, the process has been years in the “making” as the networking industry has reached a stage in evolution. In the last two decades the volume of network equipment means that the design, production and manufacture of networking hardware has moved from custom-built to mass manufacture. And, like many other manufactured products, this means commoditisation of technology.

Common Off The Shelf (COTS) is a term used describe electronic components. In years past, the electronics engineer could assemble a product from standard products that were available from electronic catalogs or at the local electronics store. Today, the progress of miniaturisation and reduction means that assembling digital electronics is based on using products like Raspberry PI or Arduino computers which are “commoditised” pre-assemblies.

A modern x86 server is made from a number of common components. The CPU, PCI Bus, memory chips (DRAMs) and power supplies are similar for all servers. In many cases, CPU and DRAMs are interchangeable and self upgradeable and are examples of COTS components in modern technology.

Whitebox The term “whitebox” is used to describe a technology product that is built from COTS components by a relatively unknown manufacturer, usually based in China or Taiwan. Whitebox products may be sold though a local business who place a sticker on a self-assembled product. For other markets, such as groceries, the terms include “own label” or “home brand” have similar meaning.