2. About the Presenter
• Chuck Black, Principal Software Architect and all-
around good guy at Tallac Networks
• 30+ years experience doing
research and development in
networks, network
security, and network
management
Tallac Networks Confidential
3. SDN Intro: Part I
I promise I’ll slug the next moron that says “SDN”
Tallac Networks Confidential
4. SDN: Nowhere to Hide
• Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated
• Billion-dollar acquisitions
• Millions of dollars of VC
• Google, VMware, even Cisco ... seems like
everybody is getting into the act
Tallac Networks Confidential
5. What the heck is SDN anyway?
• Depends who you ask...
Neurologist
Sexually
Dimorphic
Nucleus
• Look at the roots of SDN from the very beginning
Tallac Networks Confidential
6. Pre-SDN Situation
Fundamental Issue: Closed system
App App App App App
App
Operating System
App App
Operating System
Open Environments Closed
Tallac Networks Confidential
7. Why Does This Suck? Stupid static, rigid, and
inflexible networks!
• Little opportunity for • Vendor hegemony • Result:
innovation and lock-in Static, rigid, and
inflexible networks
Tallac Networks Confidential
8. What Can We Do About This?
• Whine, bitch, moan App
App App
Operating System
• Stop using the network
• Open that sucker up: But how? Closed
Tallac Networks Confidential
9. How do we open it up?
Separate Control and Forwarding Planes
Moving control functionality to centralized controller
• Removing control software Controller
from device and putting it
Control
into a controller
• With SDN, the device
Control
handles the forwarding
and data planes
Data
• With SDN, the controller Forwarding
Device
hosts the control plane
Tallac Networks Confidential
10. Networks Today
• Autonomous
devices
Control
• All control Data
Control
functionality in Control
Forwarding Data
individual devices Data Forwarding
Forwarding
• Fully distributed Control
control, but hard
to innovate and
Data
Control
Forwarding
evolve Data
Forwarding
Tallac Networks Confidential
11. Open Networking via SDN App App App App
• Simplified devices
Controller
• All control
functionality in Data
controller Forwarding Data
Forwarding
•
Data
Enforcement Forwarding
implemented by
devices
Data
• Open environment Data
Forwarding
for innovation Forwarding
Tallac Networks Confidential
12. SDN: The Big Picture
App App App App App
• A network
Application
operating system Network Operating System
Control
• A suite of network Openflow API
applications Data Data
Forwarding
•
Forwarding
Communication
between Data
Data
controller and
Forwarding
Forwarding
devices via
Openflow API Data
Forwarding Forwarding / Data / Device / Infrastructure
Tallac Networks Confidential
13. SDN Intro: Part way there
• Part II: How does this SDN crap actually work?
Or, “This was super totally lame, I want more information!”
• Part III: Wait – Who stole my SDN?!
Or, “What about these alternative definitions of SDN?”
• Part IV: SDN, Schmesh-DN. Why should I care?
Or, “Yawn. Boooring. Give me one good reason why I should care
and not still punch you.”
Tallac Networks Confidential
14. About Tallac Networks
• Consulting and training services
• SDN enterprise deployment solutions
Contact us:
o www.tallac.com
o Tallac Networks
6528 Lonetree Blvd
Rocklin, CA 95765
916.757.6350
Tallac Networks Confidential