PLNOG16: Bringing SDN outside the cloud and datacenter, Johnny Hedlund

1. Bringing SDN outside the cloud
and datacenter
Johnny Hedlund, VD
Warsaw, 29 february 2016
2016-02-25 1

2. Agenda
Software Defined Networking
SDN – Why ?
SDN – What?
SDN – How?
SDN – The way it should be
Summary
Waystream Solutions
2Johnny Hedlund, Warsaw 29/02/2016

3. Software Defined Networking
Welcome to the SDN revolution!
If you are not already on the barricades….
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 New way of looking at how networks are configured; controlled and
operated.
 It changes the way we think about service deployment/activation in
telecom.
 SDN is also truly an open technology. This leads to greater
interoperability, more innovation, more flexible and cost-effective
solutions.
 Data centers have successfully implemented virtualization of services
through SDN using OpenFlow and OF-CONFIG.
How does this translate to telecom? Well, let’s see…

4. SDN – Why?
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Traditionally:
Growing demand for data capacity + Increasing bandwidth needs = Additional (and expensive) hardware capacity
Now: Extremely competitive market means:
1) lower your Operation Expenses:
The cost of ownership of network equipment
is to a large degree determined by the
amount of technician interaction required
With SDN there is no need for manual
configuration of your network devices to
add/remove services and standard
configuration
-> Less error prone
-> Fast Time To Market for new services
With a service-aware SDN
you are able to dynamically
create just the right user
experience on any level
(per flow, per user, per
source/destination, per port,
etc)
2) Increase Quality of Service (QoS):

5. SDN – Why?
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Johnny Hedlund, Warsaw 29/02/2016
3) Drive down costs of deploying your network:
4) Take control of the data path:
 Through protocols like OpenFlow an abstraction of the control plane of a switch is possible
 In theory you could centralize all decisions for a switch/router and make cheaper HW
 But you should at least take control over the service path through your network through
protocols like NetConf
 Use “almost” any vendor of equipment
 As long as the vendor provides a standardized
data model and supports a standard SDN
protocol

6. SDN – What?
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 Automated provisioning and configuration of network devices
 Verification of service roll-out pre deployment
 Dynamic control over service parameters
and traffic flows
 Ability to virtualize your network and services

7. Side A:
SDN requires true and full
separation of control plane and
forwarding plane of all network
devices (i.e. OpenFlow)
SDN – How?
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My take:
For larger scale communications networks, such as FTTH, the cost of business has never been driven by
lack of control of the data path, i.e. OpenFlow solves a non existing issue
There are good reasons to not centralize the control plane: scalability, autonomous failure recovery,
distributed decision making -> less computational power
Side B:
SDN is all about
standardized, programmatic
control NOT separation of a
switch/routers control plane
and forwarding plane

8. SDN – How?
Lets start where all agree
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 Programmatic control
 Data model driven, automatically creating API’s for integration
 A centralized SDN controller to drive network and services
 Standard protocols for communication with the network and SDN controller
Data models, such as Yang, together with protocols such as NetConf, OpenFlow,
RestConf, TR-069,etc,etc
 Separation and abstraction of services implementation from the actual network
 The ability to drive the evolution of services/network without direct manipulation of
network devices
 Allowing simulations, testing of services, etc before actual roll out
 Allowing the SDN controller to take control of all aspects of a network/service roll
out, no matter what and how many devices are involved

9. SDN – How?
Where do I disagree
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 Moving the control plane of switches/routers to SDN controller…well,
why fix what is not broken?
 A modern switch/router is well equipped to handle the source/destination
lookup, the load balancing and redundancy of links, etc
 The “extra” silicon used for the control plane processor is not the extreme
cost driver it is portrayed to be
 The beauty of the “internet” is it’s ability to autonomously find the best path
within the boundaries given to each device
 Large networks (millions of users and network devices) requires billions of
control plane decisions per minute…does it sound like a good idea to
centralize?

10. SDN – How?
The way it should be
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 Data models (Yang) to describe and define your services and network devices
 Transaction based configuration of the network (NetConf) (allowing roll-back
before deployment)
 SDN controller runs all vital aspects of the network, from basic configuration of
switches to service definitions (QoS, source/destinations, VLANs, ports used, etc,
etc)
 Standardized integration to SDN controller via multiple protocols
B?
BA
B?
B!
B?
B!
B? B?
B?
B!
B!
B!
B!
Busy calculating
and setting up
forwarding flows
Open Flow Versus
A B
NetConf
Busy preparing
the next service
roll out…

11. Summary
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 Correctly implemented SDN gives:
 Significantly reduced OAM costs
 The ability to design services in a programmatic and network wide manner
 Reduces errors in service deployment
 Reduces time to market
 SDN OpenFlow
Waystream has done SDN since 2001
Back then it was proprietary
Today it’s open standards

12. Waystream
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Adaptable to your changing needs
Even transfer and migrate where
features are needed
Software centric approach
Quality; TCO; easier operation
Cost effective but capable
hardware
Pay as you grow – service oriented
Innovative features
Programmable to adapt to changing
needs
Routers – Switches - Solutions

13. Waystream solutions
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Come see me to discuss how SDN is best implemented in your network and why not chat with
me regarding your needs of virtualized functionality?
Network Function Virtualization is happening!
Game changing approach for telecommunications

14. Dziękuję
Johnny Hedlund, VD
johnny.hedlund@waystream.com