Software-Defined Networking

Traditional Network Operations

• Packet Forwarding
• DHCP
• IPsec
• VoIP
• QoS
• Policing
• Traffic Filtering
• Anti-spoofing
• Much, much more

Control Plane vs Data Plane

• CPU Based Multipurpose
  • All calculations happend on the CPU
• Hardware accelerated Application Specific Content Addressable Memory
  • Asking for a lot more CPU resources.

• Routing Information Base (RIB)
  • You could be using OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, STATIC
  • This information is generated leveraging the CPU
• Forwarding Information Base (FIB)
  • Offloading package forwarding functions to a dedicated chip (ASIC)
    • Forwards data as fast as possible
    • Leaves the CPU more freely available to handle other duties

SDN Control Plane

• SDN decouples control plane operations from hardware
• Centralized analysis and calculations provide intelligent forwarding discussions to network equipment
• Scalability & resiliency are improved
• Administration is centralized and simplified

Decentralized Control Plane

• We come up with the best decisions and then we will return that information to each of the client devices below that's being managed.

SDN Architecture

• SDN Application
  • Ingest telemetry data
  • Request changes based on intelligence or policy
• SDN Controller
  • Provide forwarding logic to managed devices
  • Collect stats, faults, produce alarms
  • Handles requests from Applications & Network Function Virtualization
• SDN Datapath
  • Control Plane Data Interface Agent
  • Forwarding engine

SDN Layers

• Application Layer
  • Focuses on the communication resource requests or information about the network.
• Control Layer
  • Uses the information from applications to decide how to route a data packet on the network and to make decisions about how traffic should be prioritized, how it should be secured, and where it should be forwarded to.
• Infrastructure Layer
  • Contains the physical networking devices that receive information from the control layer about where to move the data and then perform those movements.
• Management plane
  • Used to monitor traffic conditions, the status of the network, and allows network administrators to oversee the network and gain insight into its operations.

SD-WAN

• SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) is a networking technology that uses software-defined networking (SDN) principles to manage and optimize wide area network (WAN) connections. It provides a more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional WAN technologies like MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching).
  • SD-WAN allows for centralized management of the entire network, including routing, security, and policies.