Software defined networking (SDN) is a programmatic approach to networking with centrally managed network intelligence. SDN reduces the risk and administrator overhead while improving the overall network efficiency. With SDN, the function of traffic control is separated from the network hardware—this allows the network to add new apps and capabilities without consuming much time and money. Who uses software defined networking (SDN) and why? Enterprise IT organizations use SDN to reduce their dependence on expensive hardware, streamline their physical infrastructure and avoid vendor lock in. Powered by SDN, these organizations will have massive scalability and flexible deployment options. The hardware layer is decoupled from the software, resulting in more agility, lesser network downtime and optimal network productivity. How does the Software—Defined Networking (SDN) work? SDN separates the network control plane from the forwarding plane and lowers the need for manual configuration because the traffic is managed by a centralized controller. The network resources can be dynamically optimized and secured by implementing policies to the network traffic.

The Open Networking Foundation™ (ONF) is the group that is most associated with the development and standardization of SDN. According to the ONF, software defined networking (SDN) is an emerging architecture that is dynamic, manageable, cost Dell EMC Software Defined Networking effective, and adaptable, making it ideal for the high bandwidth, dynamic nature of today’s applications. This architecture decoupled the network control and forwarding functions enabling the network control to become directly programmable and the underlying infrastructure to be abstracted for applications and network services. The OpenFlow™ protocol is a foundational element for building SDN solutions.” Many vendors have announced support for OpenFlow V1.3. As mentioned, one of the key SDN use cases is traffic engineering. In addition, a defining characteristic of SDN is that it separates the control of the network from the process of forwarding the packets. Staying with the metaphor, one way to think about how SDN concepts could be applied to vehicular traffic involves thinking not of a traditional car, but of a Google™ inspired, driver less car.

Software Defined Networking

In addition to having multiple ways of implementing network virtualization, other key architectural distinctions between the varying ways that vendors are implementing SDN include the role of dedicated hardware, amount of control functionality that is centralized, and use of protocols such as OpenFlow. One example of that divergence of opinion is that some vendors believe it is possible to fully support network virtualization in the data center without using dedicated hardware and some vendors believe that dedicated hardware is needed at least some times. The survey respondents were asked to indicate if they believed that with the current technologies and products it’s possible to broadly support network virtualization in the data center without using any dedicated hardware? The no responses outnumbered the yes responses by almost a 2:1 ratio. Dell EMC ™ has the broadest network storage portfolio featuring storage that is elastic scale out, In place analytics and cloud connected. Dell EMC Scale—IO™—enterprise scale out server SAN block storage,  Dell EMC Isilon™—enterprise scale out NAS file storage,  Elastic cloud storage—geo federated cloud scale object storage.

Software Defined Storage

Current storage systems are not equipped for the growing needs of your data. An IDC™ study confirms Dell EMC™ offers the broadest Software Defined Storage portfolio, powered by Intel Xeon^™ processors, that provides the enterprise-grade agility to support your digital business demands. Enterprise quality optimizes IT agility and delivers continuous value, stability and availability optimizes IT agility, and enterprise—class Software Defined Storage delivers continuous value. Vendor neutral OpenStack and industry standard APIs. More infrastructure and application flexibility. More opportunities to innovate and gain critical insights from your data. Accessibility that meets your needs now and in the future. IoT—generated data offers tremendous beneficial potential in areas including real-time medical monitoring for better health, real-time financial transaction analysis for more secure banking, “smart” home devices like thermostats or fans, and mobile devices and wearables. But the sheer scope, in terms of both the number of connected devices and the amount of data, also presents an unprecedented challenge as far as how all that data will be ingested, stored, analyzed and managed.

Architectural Distinctions

Network virtualization isn’t a new topic. IT organizations have implemented various forms of network virtualization for years; i.e., VLANs, VPNs, VRF. However, in the context of SDN the phrase network virtualization refers to the creation of logical, virtual networks that are decoupled from the underlying network hardware to ensure the network can better integrate with and support increasingly virtual environments. As previously noted, the predecessor to The Guide was entitled The 2013 Guide to Network Virtualization and SDN. The genesis of that title was that in 2013 there was disagreement in the industry about whether or not SDN and network virtualization were the same thing. Today most of that disagreement has gone away and there is general agreement that network virtualization is a critical SDN application and as described below, there are multiple ways to implement network virtualization. Current storage systems are not equipped for the growing needs of your data. An IDC study confirms Dell EMC™ offers the broadest Software Defined Storage portfolio that provides the enterprise—grade agility to support your digital business demands.

Features And Benefits