SDN overview 2014

Software defined networks

Like virtually being there

IT RoadShow, Denver, June 2014

Your Speaker

• Dave Michels

• F100 Corporate IT Leadership

• Principal Analyst TalkingPointz

• Analyst and Media

• TalkingPointz

• Founded 2002

• Exclusive focus on Enterprise Communications

@DaveMichels


The Familiar trend of virtualizationServersDesktops

Networks


• Agility

• Isolate Applications

• Improve Disaster Recovery

• Faster Provisioning

• Reduce cost of Support

• Green

VirtualizationServer Virtualization Benefits Desktop Virtualization Benefits

• Agility

• Isolate Applications

• Improve Disaster Recovery

• Faster Provisioning

• Reduce cost of Support

• Green


Network Virtualization● Agility● Isolate Applications● Improve Disaster Recovery● Faster Provisioning● Reduce cost of support● Green


VLAN tags

Top of Rack

AggregationSwitches

VMs

Topology limits VM mobility and requires reconfiguration of production switches

Networking is rigid and inflexible

VMs

Opportunity to drive agility and flexibility by unshackling apps/workloads


SDN: What is It? ● Software Defined Networking● Commercialized from work done at Berkeley and Stanford Universities (2008)● Decouples the logic and forward planes ● Centralizes network state and intelligence● Network becomes an abstract resource


Control vs. Data

Control Plane

• CPU intensive

• Low bandwidth

• General purpose hardware

• Can be centralized

Data Plane

• Low CPU

• High bandwidth

• Specialized hardware common

• Needs to be distributed


OpenFlow● Overlay New Protocols Without Disrupting Underlying Fabric● Provides Communications Between Network Intelligence and Network Gear● Attractive in the Data Center

o Dynamic Infrastructure as a Sericeo Made Networking Behave Like Software

● The Attraction of Commodity Hardware● One (of many) approaches to SDN


Data Plane (hardware)

OpenFlow

(TLS

/TCP)

OpenFlow Agent Control Plane (software)

Controller

Network Switch

Flow Tables

Match Rule

Action CountersFlow Table Rules:

OpenFlow under the hood

1. Forward2. Modify3. Encap /

decapsulate4. Drop, etc.



SDN Today● Almost every technology vendor in the networking arena now has an SDN Angle● Highly disruptive● Immature● Data Center Centric● Southbound Standards● Northbound APIs

The control plane is evolving with APIs – providing

more programmability than OSPF or BGP


East, West● Creates the benefits of a

Layer 2 network● Far more efficient use of

BW and resources● SDN could enable

distributed switches to act as routers, firewalls, load balancers


Data Center Impetus● As server virtualization has increased, so has complexity of dynamic

infrastructures● Tried and True IP Routing Breaks-Down ● SDN Provides Flexibility to Set Attributes Across the Network● SDNs are the Natural Counterpart to Server Virtualization● The Promise of Orchestration


Orchestration

Concerned with lifecycle management operations• Service instantiation

• Health monitoring and repair

• Elastic scaling

• VM migration

Automation - Rather than perform manually Openstack: Collaborative effort of developers and cloud companies to create a single cloud operating system


5 Key Benefits to SDNs1. Flexibility and Holistic Management2. Provisioning Speed and Agility3. Improved and More Granular Security4. Efficiency - and Lower Operating Expenses5. Virtual Network Services, Lowered CapEx


SDN Won’t Be Contained to DC● Enterprise Wide Implications● Unified Communications

o Wired/Wirelesso Dynamic BW IM/Voice/Videoo Any Device: Desktop/Tablet/Mobile/xDevice

● APIs make Apps Everywhere● 60-80% of Poor End User Experience due to Network Issues


SDN: It’s Gonna Be Big● 2018 Market Forecast for SDN: $35B● CAGR: 62% over 5 Years● 2017: 60% of Enterprises will automate the provisioning of Security Controls● 75% of Gartner Clients Report they are Thinking About or Evaluating SDNs


The Disruptive Element● Traditional Approach Favors Single Vendor Solutions● Cloud-Scale Data Centers Experimented with Open Source Controllers w/

Commodity Hardware ● Programmability of previously rigid vendor networks. ● Reduced vendor lock● Open Source initiatives


Open Source Initiatives● OpenDaylight is a community-led, open, industry-supported framework under

the Linux Foundation● Project Floodlight is the Open SDN Open Source Project supported by Big Switch

Networks● Indigo is an open source project aimed at enabling vendors to support OpenFlow

on physical and hypervisor switches● OFTest is a testing framework and test suite for OpenFlow compliance testing


Agility in Practice● Rapidly Create & Deploy Proof of Concept and Test Networks ● Faster Response to New Techs ie. Mobile● Security and Compliance governed From Central Location● Lowers Operational Spend and CapEx


SDN is Progressive….but Immature● Lack of standards for full device control - no Northbound API Std (to Appl Layer)● SDN Introduces New Security Concerns

o New Risks with Centralized Controllero API Exposure to Attack

● Think about SDN Long Term Implications


Take-Aways● SDN Emerging Tech of Growing Importance● SDN Will Have Disruptive Impacts● Will facilitate agility and reduce costs● Early Still - Barriers to Adoption Exist● SDN Standards Are Evolving Slowly

Technology

SDN overview 2014