How does sdn work

SDN promises to make high-capacity networks cheaper to build and especially to re-configure on the fly — as well as potentially faster and more efficient. As more and more computing moves to the cloud, those network improvements will be critical to keeping everything affordable and available.

SDN could enable corporate networks to be reconfigured on-the-fly. Or re-arranging cellular networks during a disaster to deliver connectivity when and where it matters most. But Software Defined Networks are incredibly complicated, so even as many networking professionals look forward to SDNs as the best thing since sliced bread, others are scratching their heads and wondering if the IT hype machine has gone completely off the rails.

To answer that question we need to look at exactly what is a software-defined network, and how do you create them? Think about a traditional network and everything that entails. You have your routers, your switches, and lots and lots of CAT5 and CAT6 cable strung around: all physical hardware that, when connected in a certain way, defines the flow of data in the organization. Like laying down a network of highways, planning a network takes time; it has to be done right the first time because shuffling things around afterward is expensive.

One of the most popular tools for this is the OpenFlow protocol. So how does OpenFlow work? It will periodically gather information from network devices concerning their status as well as issue commands concerning how to handle traffic. On the controller, an administrator can programmatically define how programs and application traffic should be handled.

This control information is then pushed out to the network devices through OpenFlow. A great way to think of this is like having a large number of static routes on all your devices, defining traffic forwarding. But instead of the inflexibility of traditional static routes, these SDN routes can auto-adjust and reshape network flow based on what information OpenFlow is receiving from the devices.

This also gives administrators a centralized control over their networks. No longer do you have to configure multiple devices when you use a new application. Now you will be able to program how that application should be handled by the network only once; no matter where it goes in your network, it will be treated uniformly.

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