# Vyatta

> Linux distribution

**Wikidata**: [Q1267596](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1267596)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyatta)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vyatta

## Summary

Vyatta is a privately held company that was founded on January 1, 2005. It is headquartered in Belmont. The organization operates within the local area network industry. Its products include a router.

## Summary
Vyatta was a Linux distribution and network operating system that functioned as a software-based routing solution. Founded in 2005 in the United States, it was designed for local area network applications and produced router products. Vyatta was developed by Brocade Communications Systems and is now owned by Ciena.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** 2005
- **Country:** United States
- **Headquarters:** Belmont
- **Developer:** Brocade Communications Systems
- **Owner:** Ciena
- **Parent Organization:** Ciena
- **License:** GNU General Public License
- **Instance of:** Software suite, Linux distribution, business
- **Legal Form:** Privately held company
- **Industry:** Local area network
- **Product Produced:** Router
- **Website:** http://www.vyatta.com (ended 2017)
- **Related Project:** VyOS (Linux-based network operating system, inception 2013)

## FAQs
### Q: What was Vyatta used for?
A: Vyatta was a Linux distribution designed for network routing and local area network applications. It functioned as a software-based router solution.

### Q: Who owns Vyatta?
A: Vyatta is owned by Ciena, with Brocade Communications Systems listed as its developer. Ciena serves as both the owner and parent organization.

### Q: Is Vyatta still active?
A: The original Vyatta website (vyatta.com) ended in 2017. A related Linux-based network operating system called VyOS was established in 2013, suggesting continuation of the technology through a successor project.

### Q: What license did Vyatta use?
A: Vyatta was released under the GNU General Public License, making it open-source software.

## Why It Matters
Vyatta represented an important approach to network infrastructure by offering a Linux-based, open-source alternative to proprietary routing solutions. Licensed under the GNU General Public License, it provided organizations with a flexible, software-based router solution for local area network applications. The project demonstrated the viability of commodity hardware combined with specialized network operating systems, challenging traditional proprietary networking equipment models.

The significance of Vyatta extends to its legacy: the project spawned VyOS in 2013, a Linux-based network operating system that continues the technology's development. This succession indicates that Vyatta's approach to software-based networking had lasting value in the industry. The project's development by Brocade Communications Systems and eventual ownership by Ciena—both major networking companies—further underscores its commercial relevance and technical merit in the networking field.

## Notable For
- **Open-Source Network Operating System:** Combined Linux distribution capabilities with specialized routing functionality under the GNU General Public License
- **Software-Based Routing:** Provided a router product through software rather than proprietary hardware
- **Commercial Backing:** Developed by Brocade Communications Systems and owned by Ciena, demonstrating enterprise adoption
- **Project Legacy:** Led to VyOS (2013), a successor Linux-based network operating system
- **U.S. Origins:** Founded in 2005 with headquarters in Belmont, representing American innovation in open-source networking

## Body

### Origins and Corporate Structure
Vyatta was founded in 2005 as a privately held company based in Belmont, United States. The organization operated in the local area network industry, producing router products. It was classified as a software suite, Linux distribution, and business entity.

### Development and Ownership
The project was developed by Brocade Communications Systems, a major networking hardware company. Vyatta is currently owned by Ciena, which also serves as its parent organization. This ownership structure reflects the commercial value and strategic importance of the technology in the networking sector.

### Technical Foundation
Vyatta functioned as a Linux distribution, built on the Linux kernel and incorporating core GNU components. It was released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), ensuring open-source availability. The software included a web interface for administration and management purposes.

### Product and Industry Focus
Vyatta's primary product was a router, designed to serve local area network applications. The software-based approach allowed organizations to implement routing functionality without relying on proprietary hardware solutions.

### Project Timeline and Legacy
- **2005:** Vyatta inception
- **2013:** VyOS, a related Linux-based network operating system, was established
- **2017:** Original Vyatta website (vyatta.com) ended

VyOS emerged as a continuation of Vyatta's technology, representing the open-source community's ongoing development of the platform after commercial transitions.

### Documentation and Resources
Vyatta maintained a presence across multiple Wikipedia language editions (German, English, Farsi, French, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, and Russian), indicating global interest and adoption. The project also maintained a presence on Crunchbase (organization ID: vyatta) and had a pro-linux.de database application ID of 13748.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. [Crunchbase](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/vyatta)
3. Quora