SOSR keynote 2016

1. © 2014 VMware Inc. All rights reserved.
Is SDN Necessary?
Bruce Davie
CTO, Networking
March, 2016

2. With apologies to James Thurber and E.B. White

3. Agenda
1 SDN success stories
2 So much for OpenFlow
3 Innovation in Networking
4 Summary and Q&A
3

4. 2011
4

5. 2013
CONFIDENTIAL
5

6. SDN != Network Virtualization
SDN
control control
Network Virtualization
!=
Virtualization layer
control
SDN alone doesn’t abstract away details of physical network
SDN not required for network virtualization, but useful

7. 2005
7

8. 2009
8

9. Network Virtualization – An Analogy
Physical Compute & Memory
Hypervisor
Requirement: x86
Virtual
Machine
Virtual
Machine
Virtual
Machine
Application Application Application
x86 Environment
Physical Network
Network Virtualization Platform
Requirement: IP Transport
Virtual
Network
Virtual
Network
Virtual
Network
Workload Workload Workload
L2, L3, L4-7 Network Services
Decoupled

10. Survey Question
• What percentage of server workloads are virtualized?
– A. Greater than 50%
– B. Less than 50%
10
• Source: Cisco Global Cloud Index (GCI)
– Globally 94% of data center workloads will be virtualized by 2019, compared to 81% of data
center workloads in 2014.
– Globally 80% of traditional data center workloads will be virtualized by 2019, compared to 60%
traditional data center workloads in 2014.

11. 2012
11

12. Network Virtualization Today – Expanding Use Cases
12
Intra-Datacenter Micro-Segmentation
DMZ Anywhere
Secure User Environments
Security
IT Automating IT
Developer Clouds
Multi-tenant Infrastructure
Automation
Disaster Recovery
Metro Pooling
Hybrid Cloud Networking
Application Continuity

13. Self-Service Portal
CONFIDENTIAL
13

14. The Problem: Data Center Network Security
Perimeter-centric network security has proven insufficient
Internet
Today’s security model focuses on perimeter
defense
IT Spend Security Spend Security Breaches
But continued security breaches show this
model is not enough

15. Modern Attack: targeted, interactive & stealthy
Intrusion ExfiltrationPropagation Extraction
• Attack Vector / Malware
• Delivery Mechanism
• Entry Point Compromise
• Escalate Privileges
• Install C2* Infrastructure
• Lateral Movement
• Break Into Data Stores
• Network Eavesdropping
• App Level Extraction
• Parcel & Obfuscate
• Exfiltration
• Cleanup
shift from…
• Perimeter-centric
• Managing compliance
• Application & user-centric
• Managing risk
shift to…
Block Infiltration
(80% of Investment)
The Solution: Move security controls inside the datacenter and focus on the app/data
The Obstacle: Managing controls inside has been enormously complex
*C2: Command and control infrastructure
Lack Visibility and Control to Stop Exfiltration
(20% of Investment)

16. App VLAN
Logical segmentation around application boundaries
DMZ VLAN
Services VLAN
DB VLAN
Perimeter
firewall
Inside
firewall
Finance
Finance
Finance
HR
HR
HR
IT
IT
IT
AD NTP DHCP DNS CERT

17. B4
17

18. Agenda
1 SDN success stories
2 So much for OpenFlow
3 Innovation in Networking
4 Summary and Q&A
18

19. OpenFlow has failed
• Failed at what?
– Creating an ecosystem of independent controllers and switches
– Breaking the stranglehold of HW vendors on switching
– Enabling faster innovation in networking
• Data points
– Broadcom switching dominance
– SDN deployments either don’t use OF, or both ends of the OF connection are implemented by
same vendor
– SDN implementation complexity is huge
– Need better abstractions for scalable controller->switch communication
19

20. Changing role of OpenFlow for NSX
20
Controller
OVS OVS OVS
Openflow
Controller
Local
Control
Local
Control
Local
Control
Logical Flow
OVS OVS OVS
Openflow
Local
Control
Other
vSwitch
IPC

21. Hardware VTEPs for NSX
21
Controller
Local
DB
Local
DB
Local
DB
OVSDB (Logical Flows)
ASIC ASIC ASIC

22. 2015
22

23. 23

24. OVN: Native Virtual Networking for Open vSwitch
ovs-
vswitchd
ovn-controller
ovsdb-
server
Hypervisor N
ovs-
vswitchd
ovn-controller
ovsdb-
server
Hypervisor 1 Physical Network
ovn-northd
OVN Neutron Plugin
Neutron API
Horizon UI
Geneve Tunnel
Northbound DB
Southbound DB

25. Agenda
1 SDN success stories
2 So much for OpenFlow
3 Innovation in Networking
4 Summary and Q&A
25

26. Evolution of network provisioning: 1996-2013
Terminal Protocol: Telnet Terminal Protocol: SSH
1996 2013

27. 27
NETWORKING
EVOLUTION
SSH
COMPUTE
EVOLUTION

28. Evolution of server provisioning
Setting up a server 1994
• Insert CD Rom
• Connect serial cable
• Install Windows/Linux
Setting up a server 2014
• PXE boot
• ESX Hypervisor + vCenter
• Puppet, Chef, OpenStack
etc.
28

29. Vertically integrated
Closed, proprietary
Slow innovation
AppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppAppApp
Horizontal
Open interfaces
Rapid innovation
Control
Plane
Control
Plane
Control
Plane
or or
Open Interface
Specialized
Control
Plane
Specialized
Hardware
Specialized
Features
Merchant
Switching Chips
Open Interface

30. Megascale data centers have spoken
Custom Application
Google / Facebook /
Amazon Data Centers
Custom Platform
Any x86
Any Storage
Any IP network
Software / Hardware Abstraction
Software / Hardware Abstraction
30

31. Software Defined DC – Megascale for the rest of us
Software Defined
Data Center (SDDC)
Any Application
SDDC Platform
Any x86
Any Storage
Any IP network
Custom Application
Google / Facebook /
Amazon Data Centers
Custom Platform
Any x86
Any Storage
Any IP network
Software / Hardware Abstraction
Software / Hardware Abstraction
31

32. 32
Closing Thoughts

33. 33
“Software is eating the world” – Marc Andreesen
“Alice, Let’s Eat” – Calvin Trillin

34. 34
Protocols Features
System
Silicon
Network OS
Network Virtualization
Overlays
White Box/Brite Box
Programmable
Switch Silicon
Open Source
Networking

35. Summary
35
Think beyond “standard” SDN
SDN has proven useful at least once
It is a Software World