Webinar Series

SD-WAN: Software Defined Networks Explained

JasonGintert|Co-Founder/CTO,WANDynamics

Software Defined Networking

(SDN)

What is SDN?

DEFINITION:

Software defined networking (SDN) is an umbrella term encompassing several kinds of network technology aimed at making the network as agile and flexible as the virtualized server and storage infrastructure of the modern data center. The goal of SDN is to allow network engineers and administrators to respond quickly to changing business requirements. Source: TechTarget

Traditional Management/Operation

Ø  Devices separately managed w/user command line or network management system

Ø  Network state identified and controlled per device

Ø  Each device makes routing decisions

Traditional Management/Operation Issues

v  Network policy is fragmented

v  Prone to impact from configuration errors/mistakes

v  Network state distributed, no

central system to visualize or control holistic network

v  Expensive data plane to calculate network topology in each device (i.e. pricey routers and switches)

SDN Management/Operation

Ø  Devices centrally administered and managed via controller(s)

Ø  Network state centralized

Ø  API driven

Ø  Central Web or CLI Interface

Ø  Commodity network devices

SDN Management/Operation Benefits

ü  Network control is centralized (“single pane of glass”)

ü  Configuration is uniform

ü  More agility to make changes quickly network wide

ü  “Brains” are in controller, network devices are the “muscle” which just forward packets

ü  Telemetry typically built in

SDN Summary

²  Central network and business policy ²  Uniform configuration across devices ²  Reduced CAPEX and OPEX ²  Typically, simple web interface ²  Superior reporting and statistics ²  Enables ability to scale very large networks ²  Abstracts away network complexity

Software Defined Wide Area Networking

(SD-WAN)

DEFINITION:

Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is a transformational approach to simplify branch office networking and assure optimal application performance. Unlike traditional WANs, SD-WAN delivers increased network agility and cost reduction.

Software-Defined WAN has its roots in Software-Defined Networking (SDN), the underlying principle of which is to abstract the network hardware and transport characteristics from the applications that use the network.

Source: VeloCloud

What Is SD-WAN?

Traditional Management/Operation

Ø  Routing policy and CPE managed by service provider

Ø  All private traffic traverses MPLS and public may too if no other circuit

Ø  Provider templates for QoS

Ø  Traditional BGP/OSPF Routing Protocols

Traditional Management/Operation Issues

v  Long time frame to provision or have service provider make modifications

v  Sub-optimal path for Internet traffic via MPLS

v  Limited QoS Options

v  BGP/OSPF Routing Protocols not “Link Quality” aware

v  No visibility, must rely on service provider

SD-WAN Management/Operation

Ø  Network administered at controller

Ø  Mix of MPLS and DIA

Ø  API driven

Ø  Per-service QoS Control

Ø  Redundant circuits

SD-WAN Management/Operation Benefits

ü  Centralized control and visibility at application level via web interface

ü  Custom, per service QoS

ü  Dynamic Multi-path

ü  Use any and all circuits available, aggregates bandwidth

ü  Failover and VPN inherent

•  Easily integrates multiple and redundant connections without routing protocols

•  Any connection type (MPLS, DIA, BB, 4G) •  Dynamic path selection •  Application awareness and visibility •  Simple interface •  Central policy control •  Inherently supports VPN

SD-WAN Summary

What does it all mean?

Businesses will have a new way to build better performing, more resilient networks

while spending less.

Network Admins:

.Stakeholders:

So what does all this mean to business?

SD-WAN Benefits and Use Cases

•  Be;erWANvisibility&management

•  ManagementofmulDplelinksforautomaDcfailover

•  DynamicMulD-SiteVPN

•  HybridMPLS

•  SupportofapplicaDonslikeVoIPoveranyconnecDon•  RemotediagnosDcsandreporDng

•  ConfiguraDonUniformityandStandardizaDon

Integration / Engineering Considerations

•  StartslikeanewMPLSNetworkwherethe“Headend”goesinfirsttoaggregateservices

•  CanworkinparallelwithanduseexisDngnetworkinfrastructuresoyoucangetstartednow!

•  Carefullyconsidersecuritypolicyandfirewallplacement.Thisisveryimportant!

•  Knowyourapps!•  PlancarefullytoleverageSD-WANtoimprove

network,notcarryoldproblemstonewnetwork

Cost Comparison – Redundant MPLS

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Cost Comparison – Redundant SD-WAN

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In Closing: Gartner Prediction

Andrew Lerner, Research VP at Gartner predicts:

“By the end of 2019, 30% of enterprises will have deployed SD-

WAN technology in their branches, up from less than 1% today.”

Source: Gartner, 12/2015

Webinar Series

SD-WAN: Software Defined Networks Explained

JasonGintert|Co-Founder,WANDynamics