Support for Deployment of OpenFlow-Based SDN

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF), a non-profit organization that promotes Software-Defined Networking (SDN), has announced approval of OpenFlow 1.3.0, which adds a number of updates to the standard and also increases the flexibility of the OpenFlow API. In addition, the foundation approved OF-Config 1.1, which is a switch configuration protocol. These developments indicate SDN is moving into the deployment phase.

The OpenFlow protocol was developed in order to enable third-party, e.g. IT management, control of Internet routing and it is realized by allowing the path of packets to be determined by software running on a separate server. In a nutshell, OpenFlow enables control — sophisticated traffic management control — by providing access to the forwarding plane of a network switch or router, i.e. control is separated from forwarding. This is the key that unlocks the potential of software-defined networking.

The software-defined network model is close to that of the layered, virtualized architecture of mainstream computing. The fact that there are different control programs at the top of the stack indicates that the architecture is open, i.e. the owner of the private network can implement whatever functionality they want. 

OpenFlow 1.3.0 was developed by the Extensibility Working Group of ONF, which is tasked with moving technical work forward and making OpenFlow more flexible. The new version includes support for:

IPv6 deployment, which enables OpenFlow controllers to implement IPv6 RFCs and routing;

• Tunneling and logical port abstraction used in datacenters, virtualized private networks (VPN), and more;
• Provider Backbone Bridging (PBB), which is a lightweight tunneling standard used between datacenters;
• Quality of Service (QoS) through a new per-flow metering feature to precisely control the usage of the network bandwidth; and
• Enabling the controller to better select the information it gets from the switch with per-flow metering and per-connection event filtering.

Justin Pettit, vice-chair of the Extensibility Working Group, said, “ONF drives the specification update process to support ongoing commercialization of SDN and to address the key areas of development that member companies currently deploying OpenFlow are requesting. OpenFlow 1.3.0 is vendor-neutral and includes input from ASIC vendors, switch vendors and controller vendors to help define a clean interface between switch and controller functions. This process encourages a single API and enables a marketplace that is not fragmented, ultimately creating better interoperability to drive commercialization.”

OF-Config 1.1 is an update for the configuration and management protocol for OpenFlow switches. Features include capability discovery, tunnel configuration, error handling, and new security features. OF-Config 1.1 allows OpenFlow controllers and switches from different vendors to be deployed and managed in the same datacenter or network.