Interfaces, Attributes, and Use Cases: A Compass for SDN
IEEE Communications Magazine, (June 2014)Abstract
The term Software Defined Networking (SDN)
is prevalent in today’s discussion about future
communication networks. As with any new term
or paradigm, however, no consistent definition
regarding this technology has formed. The fragmented
view on SDN results in legacy products
being passed off by equipment vendors as SDN,
academics mixing up the attributes of SDN with
those of network virtualization, and users not
fully understanding the benefits. Therefore,
establishing SDN as a widely adopted technology
beyond laboratories and insular deployments
requires a compass to navigate the multitude of
ideas and concepts that make up SDN today.
The contribution of this article represents an
important step toward such an instrument. It
gives a thorough definition of SDN and its interfaces
as well as a list of its key attributes. Furthermore,
a mapping of interfaces and attributes
to SDN use cases is provided, highlighting the
relevance of the interfaces and attributes for
each scenario. This compass gives guidance to a
potential adopter of SDN on whether SDN is in
fact the right technology for a specific use case.