The key components of an SDN architecture

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is an architectural approach to networking that separates the control plane and data plane of a network. It aims to make networks more agile, flexible, and programmable by decoupling the network control and forwarding functions.

In traditional networking, the control plane and data plane are tightly integrated within network devices like switches and routers. The control plane handles tasks such as routing protocols, traffic engineering, and network management, while the data plane handles the actual forwarding of network packets.

SDN introduces a centralized control plane, typically implemented through a software controller, which manages the network and makes decisions about how traffic should be forwarded. The controller communicates with the data plane devices, which are often simplified forwarding devices called "switches" or "forwarding planes." These switches are responsible for forwarding packets based on the instructions received from the controller.


 

The key components of an SDN architecture are:

  1. Controller: The central component of SDN, responsible for managing and controlling the network. It interacts with the switches and implements network-wide policies and rules.

  2. Southbound Interface: It defines the communication protocols between the controller and the forwarding devices (switches) in the data plane. OpenFlow is one of the most widely used southbound protocols.

  3. Northbound Interface: It provides an interface for higher-level applications or orchestration systems to communicate with the SDN controller. The northbound interface allows applications to programmatically control and manage the network.

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