SDN, open-source and ONOS

Nick McKeownStanford University

What is happening?

1. The rise of open-source software2. The rise of merchant switching chips3. The need for operators to reduce cost and differentiate

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Software in 2014

Smartphone: Open 75%, Closed 25%Browser: Open 63%, Closed 37%Websites: Open 67%, Closed 33%

DC servers: Open 70%, Closed 30%Tablet: Open 62%, Closed 38%Mainframes: Open 60%, Closed 40%Supercomputers: Open 99%

Open-source still growing fast

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Why open-source

• Many more developers and QA• More agile, reliable and secure• Used where essential but “non-differentiating”

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“Software will eat the world”Marc Andreessen

1. The rise of open-source software2. The rise of merchant switching chips3. The need for operators to reduce cost and differentiate

2012: The baremetal switch

Sheet metal

DRAMCPU

Power supply + fans

Linux

xChip

Programmable h/w + open-source + apps

Sheet metal

DRAMCPU

Power supply + fans

Linux

xChip

Open-sourceP4

App App AppProprietarySoftware

ProgrammableHardware

Open-sourceSoftware

It’s happening fast!

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OCP: Wedge switch

BCM xChip: 1.2Tb/s

DRAMCPU

Power supply + fans

Linux

xChip

Optional Remote API

Open-sourceONL

API/DriverOpen-source

OF-DPA

Open-sourceP4

Forwarding AgentOpen-sourceFBOSS, OVS, Indigo, SwLight.

Network Control PlaneOpen-source

ONOS, ODLNOX, POX, Ryu

Floodlight, Beacon

Open-sourceONIEBoot Loader

App App AppProprietarySoftware

1. The rise of open-source software2. The rise of merchant switching chips3. The need for operators to reduce cost and differentiate

The ProblemGlobal IP traffic growing 40-50% per yearEnd-customer monthly bill remains unchangedTherefore, cost of ownership needs to reduce 40-50% per Gb/s per yearBut in practice, reduces by <20% per year

$30/month

time

Growth in traffic

Revenue

Total cost

Simpler hardware + open-source + apps

1. Reduce capital costMove to simpler hardware + open-source control plane

2. Reduce operational costStreamline protocols, features and software

3. Increase priceDifferentiate with new proprietary software services

The Internet was deliberately designed …

To be simple and streamlined. To have decentralized control: Lots of individually controlled pieces.

Which led to …• Explosive organic growth of the Internet.• A great business for companies selling routers.

simple and streamlined

A great business

Strategy 1: Vertical integration

ProprietaryOperating System

ProprietaryHardware

ProprietaryFeatures

“CLI”

Network Management

Strategy 2: High barrier to entry

Number of published Internet Standards

1969 1979 1989 1999 20090

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

50+ million lines of code

Tens of billions of gates

“Great business” triumphed over “simple and streamlined”.

ProprietaryOperating System

ProprietaryHardware

ProprietaryFeatures

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SDN and NFV inevitable because…

1. Rise of Linux.2. Rise of simpler servers and switches.3. NFV: Rise of virtualization.4. SDN: Rise of merchant switching silicon.

Software Defined Network (SDN)

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

Control

Control

Control

Control

Control

Global Network Map

Remote Control Plane

ControlProgram

ControlProgram

ControlProgram

Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding Packet

Forwarding

Middlebox Middlebox Middlebox

Middlebox

Public Internet

Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

Middlebox

Public Internet

VM

VM

VM

VM

VM

VM

PacketForwarding

PacketForwarding

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Server Switch RadioVM

Linux Linux Linux Linux

ProgrammableHardware

Open SourceSoftware

PIC

Linux

(Remote) Open Source Control Plane

Routing, Traffic Engineering,Mobility, VPN

ProprietarySoftware

DPI, Load Balance, SPAM

New Services

Overall System Management

Why ONOS?

1. Network operators need an open-source control plane (it is non-differentiating)

2. …with HA and scalability built-in from the ground-up3. Which is why we are here today

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“Because there is no army that can hold back an economic principle whose time has come.”

John Donovan, AT&T (2014)

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When we look back in 20 years…

1. “Software will eat the world”– SDN and NFV are a natural consequence of a bigger trend.

2. Network infrastructure will be: – Simpler hardware + open-source infrastructure + proprietary apps

3. Network operators will have developed and will own proprietary software

4. Standards will still matter, but with diminished value

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<The End>