Software Defined Networking

(high level view)

1
Control/Data Separation
decouple control and data planes
by providing open standard API

2
(Logically) Centralized Controller
Controller Platform

3
Protocols  Applications
Controller Application
Controller Platform

4
 Outline
5

1. What are Software Defined

Networks?
2. Why SDN?
3. The Consequences
– For industry
– For research
– For standards and protocols
6

AppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppApp

Specialized
Open Interface
Applications
Specialized Windows Mac
or Linux or
(OS) OS
Operating
System
Open Interface
Specialized
Hardware Microprocessor

Vertically integrated Horizontal

Closed, proprietary Open interfaces
Slow innovation Rapid innovation
Small industry Huge industry
7
7

AppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppApp

Specialized Open Interface

Features
Control Control Control
or or
Specialized Plane Plane Plane
Control
Plane Open Interface

Specialized Merchant
Hardware Switching Chips

Vertically integrated Horizontal

Closed, proprietary Open interfaces
Slow innovation Rapid innovation
8

Routing management, mobility management,

access control, VPNs, …

Feature Feature
Million of lines 6,000 RFCs
of source code
OS

Billions of Bloated Power Hungry

Custom Hardware gates

• Vertically integrated, complex, closed,

proprietary
• Networking industry with “mainframe” mind-set
 The network is changing
9

Feature Feature
Network OS

Feature Feature

OS
Feature Feature
Custom Hardware
OS
Feature Feature
Custom Hardware
OS
Feature Feature
Custom Hardware
OS

Feature Feature
Custom Hardware

OS
Custom Hardware
 Software Defined Network (SDN)
3. Consistent, up-to-date global network view 2. At least one Network OS
10
probably many.
Open- and closed-source
Feature Feature
Network OS
1. Open interface to packet forwarding

Packet
Forwarding Packet
Forwarding

Packet
Packet Forwarding
Forwarding Packet
Forwarding
 Network OS
11

Network OS: distributed system that creates a

consistent, up-to-date network view
– Runs on servers (controllers) in the network
– NOX, ONIX, Trema, Beacon, Maestro, … + more

Uses forwarding abstraction to:

– Get state information from forwarding elements
– Give control directives to forwarding elements
 Software Defined Network (SDN)

Control Program A Control Program B

Network OS

Packet
Forwarding Packet
Forwarding

Packet
Packet Forwarding
Forwarding
Packet
Forwarding
 Control Program
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• Control program operates on view of network

– Input: global network view (graph/database)
– Output: configuration of each network device

• Control program is not a distributed system

– Abstraction hides details of distributed state
 Forwarding Abstraction
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Purpose: Abstract away forwarding hardware

• Flexible
– Behavior specified by control plane
– Built from basic set of forwarding primitives
• Minimal
– Streamlined for speed and low-power
– Control program not vendor-specific

• OpenFlow is an example of such an abstraction

 OpenFlow Basics
15

Control Program A Control Program B

Network OS

OpenFlow Protocol

Ethernet Switch
Control Path OpenFlow

Data Path (Hardware)