Network Software Engineer (Hardware Abstraction Layer/Linux Kernel Stack)Zhone Technologies • United States
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Network Software Engineer (Hardware Abstraction Layer/Linux Kernel Stack)
Zhone Technologies
- United States
- United States
About
Network Software Engineer
, you will be responsible for designing and implementing
hardware abstraction layers (HAL)
,
Linux kernel components
, and
ASIC platform integration
for next-generation network equipment. You will work closely with architecture, platform, and hardware teams to ensure seamless integration with ASIC SDKs, optimize hardware-software interactions, and contribute to a modular, scalable system software foundation. This role reports to the Director of Software Development.
What You’ll Do Collaborate on high-level system and platform architecture design Develop and adapt HAL components for new hardware platforms (e.g., Broadcom/Marvell/VSC SDKs, SAI for SONiC) Integrate and validate switching ASIC SDKs with embedded system software Debug and resolve hardware-software interaction issues at the kernel and board level Contribute to SONiC platform enablement (e.g., platform.json, SAI drivers, CONFIG_DB integration) Write and maintain embedded Linux device drivers (I2C, SPI, PHY/MAC, LEDs, etc.) Assist in hardware bring-up, including bootloaders, device trees, and CPLD integration Optimize kernel-level performance, reliability, and interface control Write and execute unit, integration, and system validation tests Collaborate with cross-functional software and hardware teams Requirements Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science 3+ years of experience in embedded software or platform software development Hands-on experience with HAL design, Linux device drivers, and low-level hardware integration Familiarity with Broadcom or similar switching ASICs and platform SDKs Understanding of Linux networking and kernel subsystems Proficiency in C/C++, with debugging skills in embedded environments Strong teamwork and communication skills Motivated, detail-oriented, and eager to learn Assets You May Possess Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) & Device Driver Development
Solid understanding of
HAL design principles
and platform abstraction mechanisms Experience writing and debugging drivers for:
I2C, SPI, EEPROM, LEDs, fans, thermal sensors PHY/MAC, MDIO, SFP/QSFP, SerDes PCIe, memory-mapped interfaces
ASIC SDK & Switching Chipset Integration
Practical experience integrating and validating:
Broadcom SDK Marvell Prestera SDK Microchip/Vitesse VSC SDK
Knowledge of VLAN/FDB/port setup, initialization sequences, and platform adaptation APIs
SONiC & SAI (Switch Abstraction Interface).
Familiarity with SONiC containerized architecture and platform database structure Experience configuring platform files: platform.json, hwsku, platform-modules Understanding of CONFIG_DB, APP_DB, STATE_DB, and SONiC build environment Ability to port or extend SAI APIs for new hardware
Hardware Bring-up & Platform Integration.
Experience with bootloaders (U-Boot), device tree configuration, BSP creation Hardware integration: EEPROM, PSU/FAN, CPLD, LED indicators Comfortable with low-speed bus interfaces: I2C, SPI, GPIO
Hardware-Software Interaction, Debugging & Optimization.
Debugging link bring-up, PHY init, SerDes tuning Familiar with DMA, IRQ handling, and register-level debugging Tools: gdb, strace, dmesg, perf, valgrind, JTAG, oscilloscopes
Validation & Automation.
Test development and scripting using Python, Bash, TCL/Expect Experience building automated platform validation workflows
Preferred / Nice to Have
Prior experience porting SONiC to custom hardware Experience working with ASIC vendors for feature validation or hardware bug tracing Familiarity with ONIE, Redfish/IPMI, or U-Boot diagnostics Open-source contributions to kernel drivers, SONiC, or SAI Knowledge of PTP, SyncE, or other timing protocols is a plus
Languages
- English
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