Cisco IOS vs. Debian OS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco IOS
Score 9.4 out of 10
N/A
Cisco IOS, presently in its 15th edition, is a network operating system for service providers and enterprises alike.N/A
Debian OS
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Debian OS is an open source operating system.N/A
Pricing
Cisco IOSDebian OS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco IOSDebian OS
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Best Alternatives
Cisco IOSDebian OS
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies

No answers on this topic

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco NX-OS
Cisco NX-OS
Score 9.5 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco IOSDebian OS
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.3
(4 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco IOSDebian OS
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Well suited for building management networks across the organization as it has been reliable without much downtime. Since it has great switching qualities, it suites well for data center and end-user connectivity using access switches. It might not be the best for routing, as other XOR software has proven to be superior for routing.
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Open Source
My favorite way to use Debian OS is to run shared, hosted, network applications for easy segmentation of apps so that when doing work on one you don't have to effect or take down others. I would not use it is for a daily use desktop style OS. For that I would stick to Windows, macOS, or a distribution of Linux that is already geared towards a daily use desktop OS.
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Pros
Cisco
  • User friendly CLI.
  • Quick fixes for critical bugs.
  • Longer uptime.
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Open Source
  • The APT package manager is dead simple to use, and the APT repositories contain pretty much every package you can think of. If there's something missing from the standard repositories, there's a good chance a third-party repository can be added to fill the gap.
  • Debian OS releases are often considered, "boring". But that's a good thing! The Debian developers do not make changes for change's sake and this means new releases are very predictable and intended to cause as little drama as possible.
  • Debian is such a widely used and popular Linux distribution, that practically all Linux software vendors officially support it.
  • The Debian community is huge, especially when you consider Ubuntu is derived from it. If you need help with anything, you'll usually find it has been asked before and already has a resolution.
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Cons
Cisco
  • No good element managers like Nokia.
  • Load balancing functionalities are not the best.
  • Memory issues.
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Open Source
  • The installation could include suggested partitioning schemes for those beginning users or those who have their first approach with Debian OS
  • offer encryption of the home partition or the entire hard drive by default
  • an improved visual package manager and if it could be native it would be very well received
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Usability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Open Source
Debian is one of the most well-thought-out, logical, and intuitive Linux operating systems you can use. Configuration, package management, file system layouts, etc, are all based on many years of usage, and it's very rare to find anything surprising or confusing in everyday usage. Package management and updates are handled by APT in such a way that once configured, you can almost guarantee your system will behave as expected for the lifetime of its service. Top-notch system integration provides all the tools you'd expect from a modern Linux system, with all the stability you demand from a demanding server OS.
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Alternatives Considered
Cisco
We have found other Cisco software to be filled with added functionalities as compared to iOS. New NCS software has certain programmability features that are advantageous to legacy iOS software but are more complex to use for some users. Hence, we still have most areas of the network that functions using iOS software.
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Open Source
When compared to others, Debian runs smoother and faster and has great support for feature set with it. Even installing other supporting tools or IDEs for development work is pretty easier. With few simple commands and a good internet connection all the debian packages from the Internet can be easily fetched and installed on you systems
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Great uptimes on proven availability/reliability.
  • Longevity of these switches ensures great ROI.
  • Easy to learn for new users.
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Open Source
  • Due to it's low resource requirement, we are able to run more applications on less physical hardware
  • Because of it's versatility, we are able to learn Debian well and run our applications off of the same base operating system. That saves time and expertise requirements.
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