Software Defined Networking: The Future of Networking

Software Defined Networking: The Future of Networking

In the past two decades, enormous innovation has taken place on top of the Internet architecture. Email, e-commerce, search, social networks, cloud computing, and the web as we know it are all good examples. While networking technologies have also evolved in this time, we believe that more rapid innovation is about to happen. We are about to witness a revolution in the networking towards so-called "Software Defined Networking" (SDN). SDN enables innovation in all kinds of networks — including data centers, wide area telecommunication networks, wireless networks, enterprises and in homes — through relatively simple software changes. SDN thus gives owners and operators of networks better control over their networks, allowing them to optimize network behavior to best serve their and their customers’ needs. For instance, in data centers SDN can be used to reduce energy usage by allowing some routers to be powered down during off-peak periods.

The SDN approach arose out of a six-year research collaboration between our teams at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley. Essential to SDN are two basic abstractions: a general abstraction of packet forwarding, and a global view of the network upon which control and management tools can be built. Almost 50 of the largest network owners and equipment vendors have come together to create the Open Networking Foundation to standardize interfaces to implement the SDN abstractions, starting with OpenFlow (a software interface to packet forwarding).  ONF leads the ongoing development of the OpenFlow standard (www.openflow.org).

We will describe the background leading to SDN, and the current status of SDN technology, deployments and standardization around the world. We will then describe the way SDN will transform the way we think about networks in future, placing our understanding on a stronger scientific foundation than today.

The presentations will be followed by a discussion, in which everybody is welcome to participate.

We will also accept questions before the seminar — please feel free to ask your question here: <link>

For those who will be unable to participate in person, we will broadcast the event online: <link>

Speakers:

Professor Scott Shenker, UC Berkeley  (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Shenker...)

Professor Nick McKeown, Stanford University   (www.stanford.edu/~nickm/biography.h...)