Software Defined Networking (SDN)In One MinuteA non-technical executive guide

Software Defined Networking in 1 minute

How traditional networking… works

Imagine you have a packet that needs delivering

You give it to a courier - It’s now in the network

The courier asks directions at different points

If it’s busy he asks for a different route

If the packet is too big, he takes a less crowded route

The people he asks are like routers – they have the knowledge

Software Defined Networking in 1 minute

How SDN works

The courier now has a smartphone with GPS

The route is constantly updated and controlled centrally

The control knows the size of the packet and routes it accordingly

It can overlay information such as traffic conditions…

…that dynamically update his route… all from the central point

If his phone packs up, he can still ask the way

Software Defined Networking in 1 minute

Getting technical

The central point, or “Control Plane”, is software

Traditionally this is contained on routers along with a “Data Plane”

SDN decouples the “control plane” from the “data plane”

A network administrator no longer needs to hope all the routers are optimally configured along the route for his packet

Benefits?

Faster networking for big packets like video

Cheaper simpler hardware

Reduced reliance on hardware configuration

Reduced dependence on vendors’ equipment product cycles

For more information about Software Defined Networking and other SDx technologies visit

www.logicalis.com