OpenFlow
OpenFlow is a communications protocol that gives access to the forwarding plane of a switch or router over the network[1]. In simpler terms, OpenFlow allows the path of network packets through the network of switches to be determined by software running on a separate server. This separation of the control from the forwarding allows for more sophisticated traffic management than feasible today using ACLs and routing protocols. OpenFlow is considered an enabler of Software Defined Networking[2].
OpenFlow has been implemented by a number of network switch and router vendors including Arista Networks, Juniper Networks, Hewlett-Packard, and NEC[3]. Similarly, recent network control plane implementations use the protocol to manage the network forwarding elements[4].
The current version of the OpenFlow protocol is 1.1.0 which was released on February 28, 2011. The standard specification is currently maintained by the OpenFlow Switch Consortium at Stanford University.
References
- ^ Nick McKeown; et al. (2008-04). "OpenFlow: Enabling innovation in campus networks". ACM Communications Review. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
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(help) - ^ Kate Greene (2009-04). "TR10: Software-Defined Networking". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
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(help) - ^ Tim Greene (2008-10-29). "Researchers show off advanced network control technology". Network World. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ Teemu Koponen; et al. (2010-10-04). "Onix: A Distributed Control Platform for Large-scale Production Networks". USENIX OSDI 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
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