WWW.WIPRO.COM THE THINKING NETWORK Software Defined Networks will provide the intelligence the network needs to keep up in a cloud centric world. Nirmalan Arumugam Solution Architect - Data Practice, Global Infrastructure Services, Wipro Infotech
Table of contents 02 Executive Summary 02 Demystifying SDN 03 Why SDN? 05 Chief Technical Benefits: SDN Use Cases Organizations Carriers and Service Providers Adoption of SDN Deployment Models of SDN Conclusion 07 About the author 07 About GIS
Executive Summary: Businesses nowadays are subjected to multiple pressures from different quarters; this in turn places more demands on the underlying technology infrastructure. Faster responses at reduced costs, and scalable and agile operations, are some of the expected outcomes from IT infrastructure leading to increased demands on the network. In this context, Software-Defined Networking (SDN) aims to address the growing demands of enterprises and is set to emerge as the nerve-center of organizations of the future. In fact according to IDC, SDN is likely to become a $2 billion market by 2016. The promise of a virtual network infrastructure allowing a business to respond in quick time to changing market requirements is the chief benefit that can be expected from SDN. Demystifying SDN Software-defined networking (SDN) is an approach to computer networking, where only the CPU/management functionality is isolated and centralized. This is done by decoupling the control plane from the data plane, enabling the network control to become directly programmable and abstracting or separating the underlying infrastructure for applications and network services. When a packet is received at a non-sdn, entry-level switch in a conventional network, in-built policies/rules are activated through the proprietary operating system to guide the packet along a particular path. However, all packets are treated the same way whether they are data, voice or video packets, leading to inefficiencies. In non-enterprise, non-sdn networks, switches designed with integrated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) can recognize the differences between packets and treat them accordingly, although this is an expensive solution. SDN shapes network traffic by having a console with a centralized controller, thus avoiding the problems of configuring individual switches. Any configuration or policy/granular change in the entire network can be done centrally. Hence, the time consumed during a network upgrade for a large enterprise or for the service provider infrastructure can be reduced drastically. Due to this flexible and efficient management and control in the network, compared to the conventional switch architecture, SDN is considered to be the best fit for a cloud computing environment. 02
BUSINESS APPLICATIONS API SDN CONTROLLER Openflow Protocol NETWORKING DEVICES (Fundamental SDN Flow Architecture) 1 Source: https://www.opennetworking.org/sdn-resources/sdn-definition Why SDN? Traditional network structures are more suited for the client-server environment and hence are not able to address the changing requirements of today. The key trigger for SDN is the proliferation of smart and mobile devices, and the growth in virtualization and cloud platforms. These new trends have significantly changed the traffic patterns within a data center. In contrast to client-server applications, applications today rely on multiple databases and servers, resulting in significant machine-to-machine traffic before providing data to end user devices. Further, there is the added complexity of anywhere, anytime and any device data access thanks to the consumerization of IT trend. All this has resulted in a utility computing model comprising a private cloud, public cloud, or a hybrid, causing more traffic. With private and public clouds fast becoming an integral part of the enterprise IT infrastructure, the need for increased security, compliance, and auditing requirements increase. The current business environment replete with consolidations and reorganizations only compounds the complexity further. User Resolved Request of ABC Resolved for ABC Core Zone (Routing/Firewall/core Switch) Server Fram Switch Server having content A Server having content B Server having content D Server having content C (Use Case of Packet flow and resolving the request) 03
Traditional vs. SDN networks The table below gives a comparison between traditional and software-defined networks: Point of Difference Traditional networks Software-defined network Dynamics Today s business environment expects zero service disruption this means networks must dynamically adapt to changing traffic by anticipating user demands. With traditional networks becoming increasingly complex, it is an uphill task to match market demands. By placing the control logic outside of the network hardware, businesses have more flexibility to control programmability, automation etc. This helps them develop scalable networks that adapt to changing business needs in quick time. Application of Policies and Security Implementing a network-wide policy requires configuring at the device-level, making it difficult to apply a consistent set of access, security, QoS, and other policies in today s mobile environment. This leaves the enterprise open to security breaches, non-compliance with regulations, and so on. SDN by contrast allows network operators to programmatically configure a simplified network abstraction ensuring higher chances of a consistent application of policies, security etc. across the entire network. Scalability It is a challenge for the network to keep pace with growing demands on the data center. Typically, link oversubscription has allowed scaling of the network by estimating traffic patterns this however, is not a reliable method anymore. With SDN, since it is possible to abstract the underlying infrastructure, network manageability, scalability, and agility can be enhanced. Control of Network Devices In the current scenario, enterprises are constrained by vendors' equipment product cycles and hence are unable to respond quickly to business demands. Lack of standard and open interfaces hinders customizing the network to individual environments. SDN control software is vendor-agnostic and can control any network device. To ensure faster responses to changes, SDN-based orchestration and management tools can help quickly deploy, configure, and update devices across the entire network. 04
SDN offers a multitude of benefits both to the networking and cloud community. Owing to its complexity, and the existence of legacy systems, the chances of rapid SDN adoption by enterprises are slim. However, once SDN is implemented, the benefits will be apparent and it is only a matter of time before it comes to the mainstream. Chief Technical Benefits: Virtualization and automation: The key benefit of SDN is that network virtualization creates a network across all the software right down to virtual switches and routers. Hence new services or changes can be introduced quickly and at lower costs. Another advantage is that the network operator does not have to drill down to the device level to make changes, thus simplifying network management. In addition, the centralized control and widespread automation that is the core functionality of SDN improves efficiency and enables adaptive and automated network security. Service provisioning speed and agility: It is easy to set up SDN networks by creating virtual machine (VM) instances. Network flexibility and holistic management: SDNs allow an organization to circumvent the limitations posed by Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and experiment with new network configurations. Better and more granular security: VM environments bring added security challenges to the network. SDNs on the other hand can provide security at the lowest level for apps, endpoints and devices in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work environment as well. Flexibility: With additional flexibility provided by the SDN environment, organizations can write their own network services using standard development tools. Manageability: Due to network programmability, companies can develop new applications that can further improve manageability, integration, communication and so on. The organization is also not dependent on outside help to address these aspects. Centralized Policy Control and Automation: Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is a network packet filtering technology that checks a packet for protocol non-compliance, viruses, spams and any other pre-determined inconsistencies. It enables advanced network automation, policy compliance and security functions to be performed. By providing detailed data about the network traffic to the SDN controller, the network may be considered as a single resource in its entirety instead of as a group of diverse devices such as switches etc. The combination of DPI and SDN can provide centralized control of network policy and expedite automation. In addition, policy control and automation can be applied to the network as a whole, while a centralized DPI can provide intelligence to all relevant network functions, instead of requiring each function to perform its own DPI. Virtual Workload: SDN allows network administrators to establish multiple networks instead of having to directly configure each network device. High-level control programs can earmark bandwidth to direct data traffic leading to enhanced performance. The overlay of virtual networks onto physical ones can improve workload adaptability and flexibility, leading to an agile, scalable and responsive network. Due to these advantages, cloud environments that are controlled by SDN will be able to perform at higher speeds and efficiencies, both important benefits in tough market conditions. Some of the key ways in which SDN can impact the business are: Operational Savings: Since network services can be provided directly to application owners, there is no need for a large networking team, resulting in lower operating costs. Improved Uptime: Increased automation reduces the need for manual intervention, thus eliminating the configuration and deployment errors that can impact the network. Planning: SDN provides greater visibility into network, computing, and storage resources, allowing for better analysis and planning. Infrastructure Savings: Separating the intelligence control from the network devices reduces hardware prices as routers and switches must now compete on price-performance features. Lowered CapEx: Even though it is envisaged that the greatest beneficiaries of SDN will be large data centers, SDN can help CIOs lower CapEx in two main ways through better usage of existing networks, and by reducing dependency on proprietary hardware and dedicated appliances. Experts anticipate that CIOs will be able to derive a huge ROI by investing in SDN infrastructure. Time Savings: The centralized management and control in SDN contributes towards improved maintenance and time savings. 05
SDN Use Cases According to the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) that is spearheading the SDN effort, SDN and its associated standards can address the following needs of various stakeholders: Organizations Campus By enabling the convergence of data, voice, and video as well as anytime, anywhere access, SDN allows for consistent IT policy enforcement. In addition, it provides for an optimal user experience by supporting individual as well as automated provisioning and management of network resources. Data Center SDN improves data center scalability, automated VM migration and facilitates better integration with storage, enhances server utilization, reduces energy use, and bandwidth optimization. Cloud SDN provides flexibility in the use of network resource allocation, enabling rapid provisioning of cloud services. Carriers and Service Providers The main benefits of SDN in this context are scalability and automation, which can simplify the roll-out of custom and on-demand services, such as self-service. This makes SDN valuable to carriers and cloud operators in deploying a utility computing model for IT-as-a-Service. In addition, the centralization and automation inherent in SDN supports multi-tenancy, optimal deployment of network resources, reduction in OPEX and CAPEX and improved service. Adoption of SDN SDN is still a new product, and as with all new technologies, it will have to go through several phases before maturing. Enterprises considering the SDN route will need to evaluate this alternative thoroughly before taking a decision. Some of the aspects that need to be considered are risk-benefit analysis, implications on security, change management and cultural mindset and identifying a team with the requisite skills and capabilities to bring about this big change. Deployment Models of SDN There are three different approaches for SDN deployment: switch based, overlay and hybrid. A switch-based model is usually used for new deployments as infrastructure costs and choice of vendor play a major role. The biggest drawback of this approach is that it does not leverage existing L2/L3 network equipment. A tunnel-based overlay approach may be applicable when SDN has to be quickly deployed over an existing IP network. Here, the hypervisor environment includes SDN endpoints as virtual devices. The main drawback in the overlay approach is the additional overhead of managing the underlying infrastructure. The third approach combines the first two into a hybrid deployment, providing a way to migrate to an eventual switch-based design with the least amount of disruption. Some of the key steps to be taken while preparing to adopt new technologies essential to integrate SDN with the existing infrastructure include: Evaluate SDN in a separate zone and gradually merge with the production business environment Increase the application development team to do an enhanced R&D through API in SDN, to ensure that SDN is an application aware technology Enlisting an Expert Partner: For an enterprise to embark on this SDN journey on its own without the required expertise would have huge impact on cost and resources, infrastructure and personnel. Bringing in an expert partner would therefore help it avoid the common pitfalls and effect a smooth transition. The partner can be involved with one or all the phases of the SDN implementation/ migration. Every SDN vendor today offers either a traditional approach to SDN that separates data and control planes from the physical network and uses a centralized controller to direct forwarding paths. Others offer software overlays with hypervisors or virtual switches that control the virtual network. Expert partners with the help of these technologies can help move your network into the software-defined realm. They describe their SDN vision in detail and ensures users understand how these strategies fit into their existing architectures, as well as whether they meet their organization's business need. As technology evangelists and system integrators, expert partners have formulated best practices that ensure that design and build do not become prohibitively expensive and SDN is achieved with minimal impact.
Conclusion We believe the adoption of SDN technology will be gradual over many years as with previous significant networking waves such as Ethernet connectivity, IP internetworking, VoIP, wireless LANs, etc. Full market acceptance and widespread deployment will take five-ten years to develop. While the approach shows great promise, many teething problems will have to be ironed out before full-fledged adoption is possible. However, several enterprises are showing great interest in this technology, and it is advisable to start exploring SDN in terms of our own infrastructure as well. About the Author Nirmalan Arumugam is a Network Solution Architect-Data at Wipro s Global Infrastructure Services unit. He has over 13 years of experience in the IT industry, over seven years of which was spent in the Networking domain across several OEM technologies and has a successful track record in implementing Datacenter/ Campus LAN/ MPLS. Nirmalan s experience also includes recommending solutions for some of the largest organizations in India spanning verticals like Utilities, Telecom, BFSI and Govt. About GIS Global Infrastructure Services (GIS), a unit of Wipro Limited, is an end to end IT infrastructure & outsourcing services provider to global customers across 57 countries. Its suite of Technology Infrastructure services spanning Data Center, End User Computing, Networks, Managed Services, Business Advisory and Global System Integration. Wipro, is a pioneer in Infrastructure Management services and is amongst the fastest-growing providers across the world. GIS enables customers to do business better by enabling innovation via standardization and automation, so that businesses can be more agile & scalable, so that they can find growth and succeed in their global business. Backed by our strong network of Integrated ServiceNXT Operation Centers and 11 owned data centres spread across US, Europe and APAC, this unit serves more than 500+ clients across with a global team of 23,800 professionals and contributes to over 30% of Wipro s IT Services revenues of Wipro Limited. About Wipro Ltd. Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT) is a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 O view of "Business through Technology" - helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioner's approach to delivering innovation and an organization wide commitment to sustainability, Wipro has a workforce of 140,000 serving clients across 61 countries. For information visit www.wipro.com 07
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