Virtualizing Networks

Software Defined Networking enables network engineers to control the network’s layout and traffic flow with the click of a mouse

Technology has become an indispensable part of our lives as it has extended great comforts to us. It has also given us an awesome virtual world—we vent our feelings, we shop, and perform most of our personal and official work at the click of a mouse now. For these services, data centers and more importantly networks are critical. Services offered currently can be delivered with ease and zero-error if the networks are more flexible.

In this regard, computer scientists’ worked towards virtualizing network functions and they reaped fruits in the form of Software Defined Networking (SDN). SDN is developed on a standard called OpenFlow. Installing a small piece of OpenFlow firmware (a software embedded in hardware) gives engineers an access to flow tables and rules that tell switches and routers how to direct network traffic. It also protects the proprietary routing instructions that differentiates one company’s hardware from another. In short, SDN is a process of separation of network data traffic processing from the logic and rules controlling the flow, inspection, and modi- fication of that data. It is also termed as ‘virtualizing the network’.

Software defined networking enables network engineers to control network’s layout and traffic flow with the click of a mouse. This software based access allows computer scientists to inexpensively and easily test new switching and routing protocols as well. Network service providers are under tremendous pressure to reduce operational costs and are increasingly aware of the total cost of ownership (TCO) for their platforms. Decouping services software from the underlying hardware introduces a new dimension for cost savings via SDN.

Opportunities

Software defined network is emerging in the carrier space, specifically in access services. SDN has the incredible capability to control network traffic. It enables to give video priority over e-mail and reduces the annoying stops and starts that sometimes plague streaming video. They can also have control over customer offerings. By setting up rules for traffic coming from or going to a certain destination, it allows engineers to quarantine traffic from a computer suspected of harboring viruses.

By employing techniques such as deep packet inspection (DPI), network service providers can optimize available bandwidth which results in dramatic cost savings. Geographic load balancing and power management can be handled easily and efficiently. SDN offers flexibility, performance, agility, and security.

Network service providers can leverage network virtualization to quickly deploy software applications. They can also offer newer revenue generating services that can be brought to market in shorter timescales. SDN has the ability to reduce the costs and expedites the rollout of fixed and mobile access services. Because SDN design can steer traffic based on subscriber and application to the right inline processing using global overlays that share resources between locations.

Despite the advantages, there are few issues as well. The integration of the physical network with the virtual one is complicated. SDN has to handle practical problems of IT.

The rate of adoption is very minimal at present, however, it has a great potential to revolutionize network management.