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Software Defined Networking: Moving Beyond the Hype

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Anuj Sharma
New Update

One of the popular emerging solutions to overcome the rigidity of the traditional data centre network is the software-defined networking (SDN). Indeed, some have said whilst still in its early stages of deployment, SDN is already one of the most hyped concepts in IT or networking. As an industry, the IT sector thrives on new trends and ‘game-changing' technologies that drive innovation and improvement in business process.

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Introducing SDN to the network

Traditional network equipment bundles the decision-making logic (the "control plane") and the data routing mechanism (the "forwarding plane") into a single box. In SDN, these functions are separated. Boxes still move data, but the decisions are made by software running on general-purpose computers.

SDN provides the fundamentals for effective network virtualisation. It relies on well-defined application programming interfaces (APIs), which allow an organisation to develop specialised software that extends functionality beyond what is available out of the box. The underlying physical network is simplified, and redundant tools can be eliminated because resources can be moved around as needed.

Adjustments to the network can be made in real time through software applications, rather than having to frequently replace or reconfigure physical devices in the data centre.

SDN is very good at solving challenges which involves in managing state changes, access control lists, and counters in logical networks with thousands of virtual nodes; and it makes it possible to build fully virtualised networks completely decoupled from the underlying hardware.

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The end result: software-defined data centres

Data centres have enjoyed the benefits of compute and storage virtualisation for many years. SDN brings effective virtualisation to the network. The logical culmination of all these, then, is the software-defined data centre (SDDC).

The SDDC is characterised by broad programmability across all elements: compute, storage, and networking. Consumable services are decoupled from hardware and implemented as abstractions that, for all practical purposes, behave just like their old-fashioned physical counterparts. But they're free from old-fashioned physical constraints: they can be relocated as necessary, scaled according to demand, and billed according to usage. Applications will require no fundamental reconfiguration to keep processes running normally.

The software-defined data centre delivers benefits in several important areas:

- Today's applications are utilising more complex infrastructure requirements that can be a challenge to meet in order to ensure proper quality of service. The delicate balance of meeting each requirement without harming another process is improved by the level of abstraction made possible by the SDDC.

- Because resources are provisioned on demand, developers are free to focus on the business functionality of applications without undue concern about whether the network can respond.

- Combining a more consolidated and centralised control framework on top of commodity hardware means there are fewer specialised physical components that can break down and inhibit operations.

- With a reduced need for specialised network equipment, organisations employing an SDDC will likely see reduced capital and operational expenditures. With IT budgets frequently first on the chopping block in businesses, the SDDC is an ideal way to ensure continued operations at a lower cost.

Just as cloud and big data have reached maturity and widespread deployment as part on an IT strategy, SDDC is likely to define the corporate network in the years to come. Organisations should overlook the growing pains of the technology and plan how and when to make the transition now.

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