Decoupling network control from networking devices is the common denominator of Software-Defined Networking (SDN). SDN is a recent paradigm shift in computer networking, where network control functionality (also known as the control plane) is decoupled from data forwarding functionality (also known as the data plane), and furthermore, the split control is programmable. The migration of control logic, which used to be tightly integrated into networking devices (for example, Ethernet switches) into accessible and logically centralized controllers enables the underlying networking infrastructure to be abstracted from an application's point of view. This separation paves the way for a more flexible, programmable, vendor-agnostic, cost-effective, and innovative network architecture.
Besides the network abstraction, the SDN architecture will provide a set of APIs that simplify the implementation of common network services (for example, routing, multicast, security, access control, bandwidth management, traffic engineering, QoS, energy efficiency, and various forms of policy management). As a result, enterprises, network operators, and carriers gain unprecedented programmability, automation, and network control, enabling them to build highly scalable, flexible networks that readily adapt to changing business needs. OpenFlow is the first standard interface designed specifically for SDN, providing high-performance, granular traffic control across multiple networking devices.
This book looks at the fundamentals of OpenFlow, as one of the early implementations of the SDN concept. Starting from an SDN introduction, we will go from OpenFlow switches and controllers up to the development of OpenFlow-based network applications (Net Apps), network virtualization, OpenFlow in cloud computing, active OpenFlow-related open source projects, and the future of SDN. If you are still hungry for more, this book shows you how to set up SDN with OpenFlow.
Chapter 1, Software-Defined Networks, introduces you to the foundational topics that need to be covered before a deep dive into SDN and OpenFlow.
Chapter 2, Introducing OpenFlow, introduces OpenFlow, its role in the SDN ecosystem, and how it works in a computer network. This chapter shapes the required knowledge prior to the actual setup of an experimental environment. The notion of flow forwarding, OpenFlow functions, what OpenFlow tables can do, and features and limitations of OpenFlow have revisited again in this chapter.
Chapter 3, Implementing the OpenFlow Switch, covers the available implementations of OpenFlow switches, including hardware and software implementations.
Chapter 4, The OpenFlow Controllers, covers the role of OpenFlow controllers as a control entity for OpenFlow switches and the provided API (that is, northbound interface) for the development of OpenFlow-based network applications (Net Apps).
Chapter 5, Setting Up the Environment, introduces the options for OpenFlow switches and controllers. It also covers the environment for Net App development. This chapter focuses on the installation of virtual machines (VMs) and tools (for example, Mininet and Wireshark), which will be used in the next chapters for Net App development.
Chapter 6, Net App Development, covers developing sample network applications (for example, learning switch, firewall, and DHCP spoofing) to show how OpenFlow provides the common ground for Net App development.
Chapter 7, Getting a Network Slice, covers network slicing using OpenFlow and FlowVisor. A setup will be planned and the chapter will show how to configure and use a slice of the network using FlowVisor.
Chapter 8, OpenFlow in Cloud Computing, focuses on the role of OpenFlow in cloud computing and, in particular, the installation and configuration of OpenStack's Neutron. Neutron is an incubated OpenStack project that provides network connectivity as a service (NaaS) between interface devices (for example, vNICs or virtual network interface cards), which are managed by other OpenStack services.
Chapter 9, Open Source Resources, explains and gives pointers to the important open source projects that network engineers and/or administrators can utilize in their production environment. These projects range from controllers, virtualization tools, and orchestration tools to simulation and testing utilities.
Chapter 10, SDN Future, provides more insight into innovations expected to be introduced into SDN and OpenFlow.
This book will guide you through the installation of all the tools that you need to follow the examples. You will need to install WebStorm version 10 to effectively run the code samples present in this book.
This book is intended for web developers with no knowledge of WebStorm but who are experienced in JavaScript, Node.js, HTML, and CSS and reasonably familiar with frameworks such as AngularJS and Meteor.
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning. Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "The message is OFPT_BARRIER_REQUEST and has no message body. " A block of code is set as follows:
if packet.dst not in self.macToPort:
log.debug("Port for %s unknown -- flooding" %
(packet.dst,))
flood()
else:
port = self.macToPort[packet.dst] When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:
if packet.dst not in self.macToPort: log.debug("Port for %s unknown -- flooding" % (packet.dst,)) flood() else: port = self.macToPort[packet.dst]
Any command-line input or output is written as follows:
git clone https://github.com/noxrepo/noxNew terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "Configure the VirtualBox for the Host-Only Network Details from File | Preferences | Networks | Host-only Networks | DHCP Server."
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