What is VOS Lite?

VOS Lite is a resource-optimized build of the Versa Operating System (VOS) for small form-factor devices – Versa ARM-based wireless access points and the Intel Atom-based CSG350 and CSG730 appliances with 4 GB of RAM. To fit that constrained hardware, VOS Lite deactivates advanced features such as the application delivery controller (ADC), data loss prevention (DLP), kernel crash dump (kdump), and Universal CPE (uCPE).

Key takeaways

• A resource-optimized VOS image for 4 GB, small form-factor devices.
• Targets ARM-based access points and the CSG350/CSG730 appliances.
• Deactivates ADC, DLP, kdump, uCPE, IDS/IPS, and several other features.
• Ships as a WSM image with a “-lite” suffix in the package name.
• A device can move between VOS Lite and full VOS through Director.

On this page: Why it matters · How it works · VOS Lite hardware and software images · VOS Lite & the VersaONE platform · FAQ

Why is VOS Lite important?

Not every site needs – or can run – the full VOS feature set. A small branch behind an ARM-based access point or a CSG350/CSG730 with 4 GB of RAM doesn’t have the memory headroom for application delivery control, data loss prevention scanning, or a full uCPE stack alongside core SD-WAN, routing, and firewall functions. VOS Lite exists so that class of hardware can still run Versa’s SD-WAN and security core without those advanced features destabilizing a resource-constrained device.

That matters operationally as much as technically: it lets a fleet mix small and large sites on the same VOS codebase and the same Director-driven management, instead of forcing small sites onto a different product line. A branch that outgrows VOS Lite moves back to full VOS through the same upgrade workflow – no separate management stack, no separate template model.

What is VOS Lite?

VOS Lite is not a different product from VOS – it’s the same software base, built to run within a smaller resource envelope. It targets two hardware classes specifically: Versa’s ARM CPU–based wireless access points, and the Intel Atom-based, two-core or four-core CSG350 and CSG730 appliances with 4 GB of RAM, all running Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic) as the base OS.

To operate within that footprint, VOS Lite deactivates a defined set of advanced features: application delivery controller (ADC), data loss prevention (DLP), kernel crash dump (kdump), Universal CPE (uCPE), IDS/IPS, secure access, DHT, file filtering, CASB, and ATP/sandboxing. If a device’s existing configuration uses any of these – for example, set orgs org-services tenant-name adc – that configuration must be removed before a VOS Lite image will commit; Director rejects a commit that still references a disabled feature.

VOS Lite hardware and software images

VOS Lite ships as a WSM image – the same packaging family used for Atom-based CPUs generally – identifiable by a “-lite” suffix in the filename, for example versa-flexvnf-20231226-050000-8fdc3e0-22.1.3-B-lite.wsm.bin. In the broader VOS software-image table, CSG350 (4 GB RAM) and CSG730 (4 GB RAM) are the two CSG models mapped to the LITE-WSM image type; the higher-memory CSG350-8G uses the standard WSM image instead, since it has the RAM to run full VOS.

A device isn’t locked to one path permanently. A branch already running full VOS can be upgraded to VOS Lite from Director’s Inventory > Software Images workflow, and a VOS Lite device can be reinstalled with full-featured VOS from the CLI – provided its hardware and RAM support it. Compatible upgrade paths between VOS and VOS Lite package versions are documented per release.

VOS Lite & the VersaONE platform

VOS Lite devices are managed exactly like full-VOS devices: the same Versa Director orchestrates their onboarding, templates, and software upgrades, and the same Controller anchors their SD-WAN overlay. The only difference is which features Director can push – a VOS Lite device simply can’t accept configuration for ADC, DLP, uCPE, or the other deactivated capabilities, and Director’s commit validation enforces that boundary.

This mirrors a broader pattern in the platform: Analytics has its own lightweight image (Analytics Lite) for small, four-core, 4 GB devices that forward logs without running a full database, using the same design logic – keep the core function, drop what the hardware can’t support – as VOS Lite applies to branch software.

Frequently asked questions

What features does VOS Lite disable?

VOS Lite deactivates the application delivery controller (ADC), data loss prevention (DLP), kernel crash dump (kdump), Universal CPE (uCPE), IDS/IPS, secure access, DHT, file filtering, CASB, and ATP/sandboxing. Any existing configuration for these features must be removed before a VOS Lite image can be committed.

Which devices can run VOS Lite?

Versa ARM CPU–based wireless access points, and the Intel Atom-based CSG350 and CSG730 appliances with 4 GB of RAM running Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic). Higher-memory variants like the CSG350-8G use the standard, non-lite WSM image instead.

Can a device move between VOS Lite and full VOS?

Yes. A device running full VOS can be upgraded to VOS Lite from Director’s Inventory > Software Images workflow, and a VOS Lite device can be reinstalled with full-featured VOS from the CLI, as long as the hardware and RAM support the target image.

How do I identify a VOS Lite software image?

By the “-lite” suffix in the package filename, for example versa-flexvnf-989a6dc-22.1.3-B-lite.wsm.iso. VOS Lite images are packaged as WSM images, the same family Atom-based CPUs use generally, with the lite suffix marking the reduced feature set.

What happens if a device’s configuration uses a feature VOS Lite doesn’t support?

The commit fails. If the configuration includes an unsupported feature – for example, a DLP security profile or an ADC service – Director displays an error, and the administrator must remove that configuration before the VOS Lite image will commit successfully.

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