What is Software Defined Networking?

Software Defined Networking is the latest evolving technique that replaces the manual techniques of computer networking and has gained popularity among network administrators in recent 3-4 years. It was coined in 2005 at Stanford University.

What is Software Defined Networking?


Software defined networking, back in 2005 when it was evolved as a concept at Stanford University it continued to enjoy great tech interest and hype over some years until very recently some industry observers and experts considered much of it as mere media hype. Whatever be the shape of the controversy over the actual benefits of software defined networking or SDN on our present day networking and data management, nevertheless it is already an established fact that SDN is capable to ease the job of network administrators to a great extent. As software defined networking or SDN is primarily important because of it can replace manual configuration of hardware, at a time when increasing speed of virtualization and use of virtual machines is changing the modern day computing beyond measure, SDN being able to configure hardware and establish networking holds some key attributes. Let us have a look at the core technical aspects of software defined networking or SDN.

Definition

Any computing hardware has its own integrated control, but when this controlling mechanism is disintegrated from the hardware and taken care of by a software application remotely through networking, it is called software defined networking. Through software defined network the networking administrators or network engineers can centrally exercise hardware level control without needing to come in contact with individual switches.

The Abilities

There are certain abilities of software defined networking that are considered unprecedented and consequently in the new computing environment focused on virtualization these abilities play the most prominent role in defining networking for the future. Typically software defined networking is about enabling software for different hardware controls rather than exercising individual hardware controls. Through SDN you can centrally define and administer the networking policies and workloads as well as applications. Thus an administrator can easily gain control over both physical and virtual network and flow of traffic between different networks. Most importantly, deploying workloads in a disciplined manner while implementing networking policies across the contingent of hardware and different networks makes SDN or software defined networking an advantageous breakthrough concept for the network administrators of modern day computing environment.

Benefits of Software Defined Networking

As for explaining benefits of software defined networking for our practical networking purposes or for administrators we can again cite those so called benefits of centrally controlling multiple networks and so on, but this same blabbering at least won't be convincing enough to understand how big a role it plays in an organization where virtualization or virtual networking takes almost a central position. While SDN can seamlessly gain control over virtual and physical network it obviously offers the great scope of building resilient network infrastructure that in spite of facing failure can rebalance itself quickly to deliver optimized output and that is precisely what sounds in sync with constant demands of deliverables in modern day computing. Moreover with seamless virtual networking into action that defines data speed and traffic from central administrative control in the coming time software defined networking or SDN can truly be your path braking gateway to manage your data center.