DENT Network Operating System announced version 3.2, codenamed “Cynthia,” on 27 October 2023. The release announcement highlighted expanded regression testing, a Debian 10 LTS upgrade, virtual-machine support, VRF, and support for Delta Electronics’ TN48M2-SWDEV switch. It also named BISDN, Bootlin, PLVision, and Wistron as new general members. These are details from the 2023 announcement—not a claim about DENT’s current release or membership status.
What DENT 3.2 “Cynthia” introduced
DENT describes its network operating system as built around the Linux kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux-based projects for disaggregated networks. In its 27 October 2023 announcement, the project presented 3.2 as a release focused on testing, deployment flexibility, routing, and hardware support.
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Expanded regression testing and CI/CD
The announcement said DENT had hardened regression testing and added an automated CI/CD pipeline covering QoS, 802.1x, IPv6, IGMP, ECMP, LACP, LLDP, RSTP, and VRRP. These are areas the announcement says the pipeline covers; it does not provide a test-by-test result or methodology.
Dean Lee, Keysight Technologies’ Senior Director of Cloud Solution Team, said in the announcement that the DENT functional and system integration test framework, using Keysight IxNetwork, had expanded to “hundreds of test cases” and was fully integrated with the community CI/CD pipeline. That is Lee’s attributed description; the announcement does not specify an exact count.
#1 Best Overall
- Dual-band Wi-Fi with 5 GHz speeds up to 867 Mbps and 2.4 GHz speeds up to 300 Mbps, delivering 1200 Mbps of total bandwidth¹. Dual-band routers do not support 6 GHz. Performance varies by conditions, distance to devices, and obstacles such as walls.
- Covers up to 1,000 sq. ft. with four external antennas for stable wireless connections and optimal coverage.
- Supports IGMP Proxy/Snooping, Bridge and Tag VLAN to optimize IPTV streaming
- Access Point Mode - Supports AP Mode to transform your wired connection into wireless network, an ideal wireless router for home
- Advanced Security with WPA3 - The latest Wi-Fi security protocol, WPA3, brings new capabilities to improve cybersecurity in personal networks
Debian 10 LTS and virtual machines
The release announcement described an upgrade of DentOS to Debian 10 LTS and said virtualization made it possible to run DentOS in a virtual machine without physical switch hardware. The v3.2 release notes likewise mention a virtualized environment and support for arm64 and amd64 systems. The announcement establishes that VM experimentation was an intended use, but does not supply a current installation guide or detailed host requirements.
VRF and Delta switch support
DENT 3.2 added Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF), which allows routing contexts to be separated on a network device. The announcement also highlighted support for Delta Electronics’ TN48M2-SWDEV, described there as a 48-port 10G switch with six 40G uplinks. The release notes list TN48M2-SWDEV support as well.
Rank #2
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What the release notes flag
The v3.2 notes also list known issues: IPv6 traffic is trapped to the CPU; an LLDPd update for Debian 10; and inclusion of hostapd with wired support for Debian 10. Those are disclosures associated with the 3.2 release notes, not verification that the issues remain open today or that they were fixed later.
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Who joined as DENT general members
The announcement named four organizations as new general members:
Rank #3
- 【Five Gigabit Ports】1 Gigabit WAN Port plus 2 Gigabit WAN/LAN Ports plus 2 Gigabit LAN Port. Up to 3 WAN ports optimize bandwidth usage through one device.
- 【One USB WAN Port】Mobile broadband via 4G/3G modem is supported for WAN backup by connecting to the USB port. For complete list of compatible 4G/3G modems, please visit TP-Link website.
- 【Abundant Security Features】Advanced firewall policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, speed test and more security functions protect your network and data.
- 【Highly Secure VPN】Supports up to 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections.
- Security - SPI Firewall, VPN Pass through, FTP/H.323/PPTP/SIP/IPsec ALG, DoS Defence, Ping of Death and Local Management. Standards and Protocols IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.1q
- BISDN
- Bootlin
- PLVision
- Wistron
For context, the same announcement listed Keysight Technologies, Micas Networks, and Sartura as existing general members. It named Amazon.com, Delta Electronics, Edgecore Networks, and Marvell as premier members. This is the membership picture reported in October 2023, not a verified current roster.
The announcement also included comments from project and member representatives. Bootlin CEO Thomas Petazzoni endorsed standardizing drivers, APIs, and technologies while working with upstream open-source projects. PLVision CEO Olena Kozlova said the company was joining as a general member and that a PLVision expert had been elected as a Governing Board representative. These are statements from the project’s press announcement, rather than independent evaluations of the release.
Rank #4
- 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝟕: Powered by Wi-Fi 7 technology, enjoy faster speeds with Multi-Link Operation, increased reliability with Multi-RUs, and more data capacity with 4K-QAM, delivering enhanced performance for all your devices.
- 𝐁𝐄𝟑𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥-𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝟕 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫: Delivers up to 2882 Mbps (5 GHz), and 688 Mbps (2.4 GHz) speeds for 4K/8K streaming, AR/VR gaming & more. Dual-band routers do not support 6 GHz. Performance varies by conditions, distance, and obstacles like walls.
- 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐆𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝟐.𝟓 𝐆𝐛𝐩𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟑×𝟏𝐆𝐛𝐩𝐬 𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬: Maximize Gigabitplus internet with one 2.5G WAN/LAN port, one 2.5 Gbps LAN port, plus three additional 1 Gbps LAN ports. Break the 1G barrier for seamless, high-speed connectivity from the internet to multiple LAN devices for enhanced performance.
- 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭-𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝟐.𝟎 𝐆𝐇𝐳 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝-𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫: Experience power and precision with a state-of-the-art processor that effortlessly manages high throughput. Eliminate lag and enjoy fast connections with minimal latency, even during heavy data transmissions.
- 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 - Covers up to 2,000 sq. ft. for up to 60 devices at a time. 4 internal antennas and beamforming technology focus Wi-Fi signals toward hard-to-reach areas. Seamlessly connect phones, TVs, and gaming consoles.
Trying DENT in a VM versus deploying on a switch
The announcement’s virtualization feature means a physical switch purchase is not necessary to begin experimenting with DentOS. A VM is the more accessible route for exploring the software; it does not establish that a virtual setup reproduces the behavior or hardware-specific capabilities of a production switch.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFor physical deployment, check the exact device and release rather than relying on a family name or the word “supported.” DENT’s hardware compatibility page defines “Qualified” as vendor-claimed and tested by the DENT community, while “Supported” means vendor-claimed. These labels represent different levels of evidence. The page lists Delta and Edgecore models, but compatibility is model-specific; verify the exact TN48M2 variant and intended DENT version before selecting hardware.
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- Linux Plug-and-Play: This AXE3000 WiFi 6E Linux USB adapter works with all Linux distributions with kernel of 5.18 or newer (older kernels not supported)
- Broad Linux Compatibility: The Linux USB WiFi adapter is compatible with Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian, Raspberry Pi OS, Kali Linux, Fedora, Arch Linux, and more. Perfect for users running dual-boot setups, multiple distros, or virtual machines. Also supports Windows 11/10 (driver required)
- WiFi 6E Tri-Band Speeds: Get up to 1201 Mbps on 6 GHz, 1201 Mbps on 5 GHz, or 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz with the Linux USB WIFi adapter. Ideal for coding, large file transfers, server access, and remote collaboration. Built with a Mediatek MT7921AU chipset. 6 GHz is only available on recent Linux distros or Windows 11
- Extended Range with Dual Antennas: This Linux compatible WiFi adapter features dual adjustable antennas and Beamforming technology to enhance signal focus, providing stronger and more reliable coverage throughout your home or office
- High-Speed USB 3.0 Interface: USB 3.0 ensures the wireless Linux USB adapter reaches its full WiFi 6E speeds, delivering fast and stable connections. For optimal performance, plug the adapter into a USB 3.0 port
How to interpret the announcement today
DENT’s homepage continues to present DENT 3.2 “Cynthia,” and the GitHub releases page shows v3.2 as its latest listed release. Those pages establish what they currently display, not the project’s full maintenance status or whether later releases exist elsewhere. DENT’s roadmap also cautions that its list is neither complete nor guaranteed, so roadmap entries should not be treated as delivered features without confirmation from a release or project source.
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