Software Defined Network - SDN

Editor's Notes

• #4 Software Defined Networking (SDN): A new networking paradigm whereby the behavior of a network is controlled by a single high-level software program.  The general term for network architectures whereby the control plane (software that controls network behavior) and the data plane (the devices that forward traffic) are separate from one another. Control plane: The functions in the network that control the behavior of the network (e.g., network paths, forwarding behavior).  Typically, the control plane is instantiated as a single, high-level software controller. Data plane: The functions in the network that are responsible for forwarding (or not forwarding) traffic.  Typically, the data plane is instantiated as forwarding tables in routers, switches, firewalls, and middleboxes. Network virtualization: The notion of instantiating many distinct logical networks on top of a single, shared physical network infrastructure.
• #5 SDN is the framework to automatically manage and control a large number of network devices and services in a multi-tenant environment
• #8 OpenFlow originated SDN but now many different southbound and northbound APIs, intermediate services and tools are being discussed and implemented by the industry, e.g., XMPP, ForCES, PCE, ALTO The OpenFlow protocol is a foundational element for building SDN solutions. The SDN architecture is: Directly programmable: Network control is directly programmable because it is decoupled from forwarding functions. Agile: Abstracting control from forwarding lets administrators dynamically adjust network-wide traffic flow to meet changing needs. Centrally managed: Network intelligence is (logically) centralized in software-based SDN controllers that maintain a global view of the network, which appears to applications and policy engines as a single, logical switch. Programmatically configured: SDN lets network managers configure, manage, secure, and optimize network resources very quickly via dynamic, automated SDN programs, which they can write themselves because the programs do not depend on proprietary software. Open standards-based and vendor-neutral: When implemented through open standards, SDN simplifies network design and operation because instructions are provided by SDN controllers instead of multiple, vendor-specific devices and protocols.
• #12 OpenDaylight SDN Controller platform is the leading open source SDN controller project under Linux Foundation Multi-company collaboration under Linux foundation Many projects including OpenDaylight Controller NO-OpenFlow (Not Only OpenFlow): Supports multiple southbound protocols via plug-ins including OpenFlow Dynamically linked in to a Service Abstraction Layer (SAL) Abstraction  SAL figures out how to fulfill the service requested by higher layers irrespective of the southbound protocol Modular design using OSGI framework A rich set of North-bound APIs via RESTful services for loosely coupled applications and OSGI services for co-located applications using the same address space
• #17 http://www.networkcomputing.com/networking/inside-googles-software-defined-network/a/d-id/1234201?
• #18 Allows customers to define their own network, address space, etc. ž Extend existing enterprise data center— VPN between Amazon VPC and data center ž Applications/Benefits — Dynamic scaling — Disaster recovery — Manageability
• #20 Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is a network architecture concept that proposes using IT virtualization related technologies, to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may be connected, or chained, together to create communication services.