SDN Software Defined Networks

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“There is nothing more important than our customers”

SDN – Software Defined Networks

A deployable approach for the Enterprise

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SDN Overview

What is SDN?

 Loosely defined by vendors, analysts, press

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Splitting data plane (forwarding hardware) from control plane (logic that controls packet forwarding) is the most common definition

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External device used to direct traffic forwarding

• Traditionally forwarding controlled by Spanning Tree, OSPF, etc and administered by switch manufacturer’s management system

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Most commonly discussed in context of datacenters and service providers

• SDN proponents cite campus and the enterprise use cases as well

 SDN claims:

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Allows centralized management from multiple vendors

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Improved automation and management with common

APIs

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Increased reliability, and more granular control of the network

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SDN Overview

Market Buzz

 Why all the noise?

- Hyper scale datacenter operators (Google, Facebook, researchers) and service providers are experimenting and deploying SDNs

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More flexibility, efficiency and scalability for unpredictable traffic patterns and workloads

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A standardized way to “program” switches

o If successful, SDNs may find their way into mainstream network

- Data centers are the biggest growth area in networking

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Significant investment in SDN startups

• Disruptive technology potentially altering the landscape of incumbent vendors in the next- generation of datacenter build-outs

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Low cost commodity hardware, managed by external controllers could replace high end switches

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Eliminate firmware customized to a specific hardware platform

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OpenFlow & SDN

They are NOT the same

 OpenFlow

• A protocol used to communicate between an external OpenFlow controller and OpenFlow enabled switches

– OpenFlow and SDN are not synonymous

– OpenFlow is a communication protocol between a controller and a switch: OpenFlow does not define a SDN

– SDN is much more than flow provisioning

• Standardized and promoted primarily by the Open Network Forum (ONF)

– A consortium of researchers, network operators, and networking vendors

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SDN

Centralization Models

 Centralized control and provisioning

- Until recently this hasn’t been in the focus of standardization by new industry consortiums that embrace SDN like the ONF

- CLI, SNMP, NETCONF etc, created for centralized control

- Centralized control and an API abstraction layer in the management plane can be provided today by Enterasys

 Centralized Control Plane

- Focus of early SDN architectures

• Centralized routing, pathing, and policy decisions

- Goal of cost and complexity reduction

• Low-cost commodity switches & inexpensive controllers

• Single point of control

- Foreseen challenges with centralized control plane

• Scaling, resiliency and provisioning

• Flow monitoring, pathing, routing, and policy decisions

• Inter-domain connectivity

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Enterasys’ View of SDN

The market for today and tomorrow

 Extensive experience with “SDN”

- Pioneered “SDN” technology in the early 1990s with Secure VNS - Currently shipping the largest scale flow-based Enterprise class

switch/router

– Built on custom ASIC technology (CoreFlow2) up to 64M concurrent flows

 Benefits today

- Centralized control and provisioning - SDN deployable today with Enterasys

 Concerns for general market direction

- Centralized routing and pathing cannot scale when real time policy decisions are required

• Static path provisioning may have applicability in hyper scale datacenter and service provider networks

- Curent barriers to an Enterprise based OpenFlow network

• Lack of a well defined operational model

• Feature-set of both switches and controllers are disparate across the industry, negating the simplicity, vendor independence and agility claims

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The Optimal Approach for the Enterprise

The Enterasys SDN architecture

 To scale and operate a SDN today, we deliver the following:

 A centralized management plane with selective control functions

providing visibility, control, and

automation and open Northbound APIs

 A distributed control plane residing inside the network infrastructure to establish and maintain topology for a robust and resilient network

 A application and flow aware data plane

 SDN done right?

 A hybrid approach

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OneFabric Control Center

Northbound APIs enable manipulation of the policy engine

 Manage with a single management platform

- Unified wired/wireless access - Core networks

- Data Centers - Security

 Integrates with existing IT through an SOA approach and automated IT workflows

- Open API’s ( i.e. XML..) and a single database

 Fabric management – not node management

- System-wide management instead of node by node since the launch of our management solution in 2001

- Interworking with highly manageable switches is in our DNA since the 90’s

CMDB Asset VM and Cloud

OneFabric Control Center

Alarm Systems Directory

PKI Provisioning

Software

Device Mgmt

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9 The Software Defined Data Center

SDN use case - Data Center Manager (DCM)

• Automation & control

– Dynamic configuration of the vSwitch and physical

infrastructure for each VM

• Visibility

– Integrated tracking of VM and its applications along with centralized view of virtual and physical network infrastructure

• Vendor agnostic

– Integrates with popular server virtualization products from Citrix, Microsoft and VMware

Pre-provision network connectivity & VLANs

Report on VM location, switch port status and assigned connectivity profile

Assign network connectivity profile to VM

Synchronize VM asset information

OneFabric Control Center

Northbound API

Soutbound API

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OneFabric™ Solutions

Modular, flexible approach to solving network challenges

One piece at a time. Evolve to a fabric-based network at your speed.