SDN 2.0 Master v1.5 - Pluribus Networks · Companies: Apstra, Big Switch, Pluribus Networks, Accedian, Anuta Networks, Arista Networks, CA, Cisco, EXFO, Forward Networks, Gigamon,

Premium Technology Research January2018

ANALYSIS OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY MARKETS

Key Findings

• The software-defined networking (SDN) market is entering a new stage that will integratetelemetry, monitoring, and analytics to deliver increased automation. Largenetworkoperatorsarenowmovingtowardplatformsthatcancollectlargeamountsoftelemetrydatatodrive

analyticsandautomation.

• Service providers see SDN 2.0 as a key driver of automation. InterviewswithleadingserviceproviderarchitectsindicatestheyseethemarriageofSDNplatformswithreal-timemonitoring

andbigdataanalyticsasakeydriverforautomation.

• SDN integration with hardware underlay is a critical feature. SDNsoftware-onlyoverlaysareimportant,butintegrationwiththehardwareandOSwillbecriticaltodeliveringautomationand

self-healingnetworks,asindicatedbyrecentadoptionplans.

• Monitoring tools are being integrated with leading SDN platforms. Thedrivetoautomatelarge-

scaleserviceprovidernetworkswilldrivemoreintegrationbetweenmonitoringandtelemetry

toolswithSDNplatforms.

• Network monitoring and network packet broker (NPB) functions are now SDN features. Thistrend is likelytoaccelerate,therefore lookformonitoringandNPBvendorstopartnerorseek

integrationdealswithleadingSDNplatforms.

• Intent-based networking (IBN) will be a key function that will enable further automation ofSDN platforms. HigherlevelanalyticsfunctionswillsetthestateforIBNandautomation.

• SDN startups such as Apstra, Big Switch, and Pluribus Networks are making inroads. Despitelong-heldskepticismofSDNstartups,thesecompaniesaregainingtractionwithbothlarge

enterprisesandserviceproviders.TheycouldbeprimeacquisitionorIPOcandidatesasoperators

acceleratetheirinterestinfullyfeaturedSDNsolutionsthataren'ttiedtospecifichardware

platforms.

SDN 2.0: Monitoring, Analytics, and Automation

Building closed-loop automated networks with software-defined tools

Featuring:



Table of Contents

I. Introduction: What’s Next for SDN 3

II. Market Drivers for SDN 2.0 5

6 Evolution of SDN 2.0

7 SDN Drivers

7 SDN 2.0 Goals

III. Requirements for SDN 2.0 8

8 Telemetry, APIs, and Standards

9 Data Models for SDN 2.0

10 Standards Groups Developments to Watch

11 ETSI, IETF, the Linux Foundation

12 MEF, Open Compute Foundation, TM Forum

IV. The SDN 2.0 Ecosystem 13

13 Technology component and functions

14 Networking Fabric Systems and OSes

15 Orchestration and Automation Platforms

15 Network Monitoring, Performance Mangement (NPM), and NPB 16 Service Assurance Tools

17 NPM, Monitoring, and NPB Integration Trends for SDN

V. Conclusion: Data Models Will Yield More Integrated Platforms`

Appendix A: Profiles of Leading SDN 2.0 Technology Companies 19 Companies: Apstra, Big Switch, Pluribus Networks, Accedian, Anuta Networks, Arista Networks,

CA, Cisco, EXFO, Forward Networks, Gigamon, Infovista, NETSCOUT, Viavi

18



The revolution will be automated

Bigchangeshavecometonetworks,drivenbythecloudandaboominwebapplications.Thishas

changedthegameforlargenetworkoperators,makingnetworkslarger,morecomplex,and

mission-criticalthaneverbefore.Cloud-scaleoperatorssuchasAmazon,Facebook,andGoogle,and

Microsoftpioneeredtechniquesinsoftware-definednetworking(SDN),includingtheseparationof

theforwardingandcontrolplanefornetworkingaswellasthe“disaggregationofhardwareand

softwarecomponents,toscaletheirnetworksandbecomelessreliantonproprietaryhardware.

Thistrendhasnowtakenholdwithlargeenterprisesandserviceproviders,who haveadoptedcloud-scaleSDNtechniquestodeploynewserviceswithmoreagilityandscalability,usingcloud-

basedplatformsknownasnetworkfunctionsvirtualization(NFV).

Butwhat’smissing—andwhat’snext?Asserviceprovidersandlargenetworkoperatorssuchas

cablecompaniesandlargeenterpriseslooktomimictheaccomplishmentsofthecloud-scale

providers,theyhavesignificantchallengesinbuildingSDNandNFVnetworks.Theend-goalishigher

levelsofautomationinthenetwork,wherebyanetworkcanmonitoranddetectfaultsandresolve

themwithlesshumanintervention.FuturiomcallsthisevolutionSDN2.0,whichwillrequirethe

followingcomponents:

IntegrationofmonitoringandtelemetrywithSDNandNFVtoaggregatenetworkintelligence

andgiveafullviewofwhat’shappeningwithnetworkconnectionsandapplications

� Analyticsplatformstoprocessnetworktelemetryanddriveautomation

� Amovetointent-basednetworking(IBN)andintent-basedanalytics(IBA)modelsthatenablenetworkprogrammabilitybasedontheintent,ratherthanstate

� FurtherintegrationbetweenSDNsoftwareandnetworkhardware(underlay)tocreatefullyprogrammablenetworkfabric

I. Introduction: What's Next for SDN



Asvendorsrampuptheirmarketingefforts,everybodyismakingsuretoincludemanyofthesebuzzwords—telemetry,IBN,underlay,andSDN—intheirslides.Thetruthis,however,thatthisisamammothundertakingthatwillrequiremanyyearsaswellasintegrationandcooperationamongvendorsintheindustry.

Largenetworkoperatorssuchascommunicationsserviceproviderssaythatprogresshasbeenmadeindrivingautomationandanalyticsintonetworks.Forexample,AT&Trecentlysaiditplanstohave75%ofitsnetworkvirtualizedby2020.However,manylargeserviceprovidertechnologistspointtothecomplexityandsizeofthisundertakingastheyseekto"cloudify"theirnetworksanddrive automation.

Futuriomhasspentmonthsstudyingthesetrends,talkingtodozensofvendorsandend-usersatmajornetworkoperators.Whileit’sclearthatendusersareacceptingsomeofthevendorvisionforwhereSDNandNFVwillgotoachieveSDN2.0,theyarechallengedbyintegrationtasksthatrequirethemtomeldsophisticatedmonitoring,telemetry,analyticswiththenetworkunderlaytocreatefull-fledgedSDN2.0andachieverealnetworkautomation.

“Thetelcosneedtofocusonoperationsandlet’sfaceitwe’rebehind,"saidDeutscheTelekomVPAxelClauberginaFuturiominterview."Weneedtorevisithowweareoperatingthenetworkandmanagingservicesanditispartofalargetransformation."

Akeytoachievingthesegoalswillbetheroleofnetworktelemetryandmonitoringastheyareintegratedintothenetworkhardwareandsoftware.“Iseemoreembeddedmonitoringgoingforward,"saysClauberg.

Thisprocesswillrequirefurtherintegrationofnetworkhardware,software,analytics,andmonitoringfunctionality.Endusershavethreechoicesinthisprocess:1)Buyexistingsolutionsfromvendors2)Buildtheirownsoftware3)Usesomecombinationofthetwo.Inourdiscussionsandsurveysofend-usersentiment,it’sclearthatmanynetworkoperators—includingbothenterprisesandserviceproviders—donotfeeltheyhavetheresourcesorexpertisetobuildtheirownnetworkhardwareandsoftware,sotheywilllooktothevendorcommunitytointegratetoolstodrivetelemetry,real-timemonitoring,andanalyticsintoSDNplatformstohelpthemachieveSDN2.0.

How will that happen? Let’s delve into the drivers and requirements.



* Increasedautomation

TheoriginalvisionofSDNderivedfromaneedtoscaleouthardwaremorequickly,without

requiringthecomplexprovisioningrequiredbymanyproprietarynetworkschemes.Googlewas

amongthefirsttodetailitsSDNscheme,whichinvolvedstringingtogetherhundredsifnot

thousandsofcommodity-basednetworkingboxesandcontrollingthemwithsoftware.Thegrowth

ofGoogle'sback-end(east-west)networkquicklysurpassedthedemandofuser-facingnetwork.

Thisgrowthwasexpensivebecausethenetworkdidn’tscaleaseconomicallyasstorageand

compute.Googlebelievethatbyseparatinghardwarefromsoftware,thecompanycouldchoose

hardwarebasedonrequiredfeatureswhilebeingabletoinnovateanddeployonsoftware

timelines.Second,itprovidedamoredeterministicandfault-tolerantnetworkingplatform.Italso

allowedGoogletodriveautomationwithmonitoring,managementandoperationoftheindividual

boxesandapplications.

Mostofthisvisionisstillintact,buttheserviceproviderandlargeenterprisenetworkoperators

havefoundthatthisgoalmorechallenging,withouttheresourcesortechnicalexpertiseofacloud

operatorsuchasGoogle.Additionally,serviceprovidershavemorelegacynetworkinfrastructure

tosupport,ratherthanjustfocusingonbuildingnewgreenfielddatacenters.

ThefeedbackthatFuturiomhasheardfromtheserviceprovidersandlargenetworkoperator

communityoverlastthreemonthsisthattheyarejuststartingtopushSDNtowardmore

extensivenetworkautomation.ButthiswillrequiremoreintegrationbetweenthevarietyofSDN

tools,includingSDNnetworkfabrics,monitoringproducts,andanalytics.

We’rejustinthestartoftheSDNjourney,"MattiasFridström,ChiefAnalystofTeliaCarrier,toldus

recently."Ifyoutalktousinthreemonthstimewewillbemuchmoreautomated."Fridströmsays

theenableswillbeconnectingreal-timetelemetrytoanalyticstodriveautomation

Mostenterprises,exceptforthelargestones,don’thavetheresourcesorscaletobuildtheirown

customSDNs.Evenservicesproviders,regardlessofsize,arerethinkingwhethertheywanttobein

thecloudsoftwaredesignbusiness—andtheyareworkingcloselywithstartupsandvendorsto

deliverintegratedSDN2.0solutions.

II. Market Drivers for SDN 2.0



Thevisionisforlargenetworkoperatorstodeliveraheterogenousnetworkingenvironment

withreal-timemonitoringandtelemetry,whichcanconnectwithanalyticssotwaretoenable

moresophisticatedautomation.Inachievingthesegoals,networkoperatorshopetosave

significantamountsofmoneyinbothcapitalexpense(capex)andoperatingexpense(opex).The

chartbelowshowshowSDNisevolving



Inconclusion,herearethedriversandgoalsforSDN2.0:

SDN 2.0 Drivers

� NeedforstandardizednetworkhardwarewithopenAPIstodriveascale-outarchitecture

� Needformorepervasive,integratedreal-timemonitoringandnetworktelemetry

� Directconnectionandcommunicationtohardwarefabric(underlay)

� Needforautomationthroughconfiguration,analytics,andprogrammability

� Providingsoftware-basedagilitytolaunchnewservices.

SDN 2.0 Goals

� Improvedvisibility

� Improvedsecurity

� Reducedopexthroughsimplifiedoperations,includingintegrationwithcloud

� Capacityandresourceplanning

� Costcontrolbyoptimizingnetworkresources

� Improveduserexperience



Telemetry, APIs, and Standards

TheSDNandnetworklandscapehasbecomecomplex.Partofthathasbeenbroughtaboutbythemessymigrationtovirtualizednetworksinwhichtheyarenolongerdefinedbyasetofmanagementinterfaces(oftenproprietary)onaspecificmanufacturer’sboxbutbyawiderangeofdataprotocolsandAPIs,oftenstretchingtheboundariesbetweentraditionalnetworksandthecloud.

Atthesametime,networkmanagersaresufferingaculturalrevolution,inwhichthetoolsofcloud,suchasDevOpsandopen-sourceLinuxprogramming,havestartedtoinfiltratethenetworkworld,whichhaslongdependedonknowledgeofspecifichardwaremanagementplatformsandcommand-lineinterfaces(CLIs).Thecloudworldhaspushedthenetworkworldtowardmoreflexibility—movingfromclosed,proprietarysystemsthatdon’tliketosharetomoreopensystemstoconsumeandexchangedata.

Sohowdoesallofthisworktogether?Itcomesdowntowiringupthenetworkwithawiderangeofcapabilitiestoexchangedataandconfigurationinformationwithnetworkingstandardsandapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).ThisdataexchangeistheconnectivetissueofSDN—thecapabilitytosharedataandconfigurationinformationbetweenplatforms.

Data Models for SDN 2.0

Oneofthekeytrendsinserviceproviderandlargeenterprisenetworksisthemovetowarddata-driveninfrastructuretomakeiteasiertoprogramandconfigurehardware.Thesedatamodelsalsomakeiteasiertofeedanalyticsprogramstobuildanautomatedsystem.

Thedata-modeltrendmeansthereismoreconfiguration,traffic,andflowdataavailablethaneverbefore--whetherthenetworkingplatformisopenorproprietary.ThisinformationcomesfromawidevarietyofstandardizednetworkprotocolsanddatamodelssuchasSNMP,YANG,Netconf,NetFlow,andvendorAPIs.ThisdatacanincludehardwareinformationfromtheCPUormemory,dataonjitterandpacketloss,orerrorlogmessages.Thekeyisthecapabilitytocollectasmuchdataaspossibleandthenprogramawaytoprocessandreacttothisdatainanautomatedfashion,ratherthanrequiringnetworkoperatorstorespondtoerrorlogsmanually.WiththeadventofcloudandSDN,networksarepropagatingmoredatathaneven,includingapplicationsdatafromAPIs.SDN2.0solutionswillaimtosolvethisbybeingprogrammedwithtrafficanalytics,andeventuallyintent,thatcananalyzethisdatainreal-timeandmakeautomateddecisionstorespondtoproblems.Allthismeansatrendtowardreal-timedatacollectionandanalyticstoimprovesecurity,capacityplanning,monitoring,andtroubleshooting

III: Requirements for SDN 2.0



"Thefirststepwastogetintodata-modeldrivenmanagement,"DT'sClaubergtoldus."WestartedwithYANGandNetconf.Thepointwashowtobuildontopofthat.Howtobuildend-to-endserviceorchestration.Onceyouhavethefoundationwiththedatamodels,youbringinbigdataeventmanagement,automationremediationwithAI,andintheendyouwillhavefullautomation."

Sowhat,specifically,isbeingused?Basedonsurveydatagatheredbyinterviewingendusersandvendors,Futuriomhasdeterminedthatthefollowingnetworkprotocols,datamodels,andAPIsarethemostcommonlyusedtogatherthenetworktelemetryandconfigurationdataneededtodrivenetworkanalyticsandautomation:

APIs: NetworksareusingawiderangeofAPIs,includingvendor-specificRESTAPIsallowingaccesstoconfirmationandoperationaldataforspecificvendorhardware.TheopeningofRESTAPIstoproprietaryhardwarehasbeenoneofthekeyenablersofSDN2.0,facilitatingtheprogrammabilityofaheterogeneousnetwork.

Data Models: DatamodelssuchasNetconf,YANG,andTOSCAhaveriseninpopularitybyenablingorchestrationtoolstoautomateconfigurationofnetworkdevicesandsoftware.

Network Management & Monitoring Protocols: NetworkprotocolsandstandardssuchasSNMP,NetFlow,OpenFlow,SFlowandJFlowhaveenabledopen,shareabledataonnetworkstatus.ThisdatacanbeusedbySDN,NFV,managementandserviceassuranceplatformtobuildreal-timestatusinformationonthenetwork.

Unix Tools: Thecloudworldhasinfiltratednetworking.SDNsystemsareincreasingleveragingdatageneratedbythesystemsoftheserverworld,usingSyslogandotherUnixtools.

What'sinterestingisthatthismovementhasblurredthelinesbetweenan"open"and"proprietary"platform.EventhemostproprietaryplatformshavebecomemoreopenthroughthepublishingofAPIsandtheadoptionofcommondatamodels.Somenetworkoperatorsmaystandardizeononeplatform.Othersbuildcustomizedmonitoringandanalysisinterface.Asoneserviceprovidernetworkarchitecttold,itboilsdowntoonething:Buildingnetworkswithmoredatagatheringcapabilities.

"Iwantstreamingdataaboutthestatusoftheboxanddon’twaittowaitforittofail,"BillWalker,directorofnetworkarchitectureatCenturyLink,toldusinaninterview."WeuseSyslog(andotherLinuxtools),SNMP,andwearelookingatNetFlow,Netconfig,evenOpenFlowtelemetry.Wearespendingalotoftimearoundlocalizedinformationsothatwecankeepthedatalocalizedandnotsendittoacentralplacetobeanalyzed."

Operatorswantasmuchdataandtelemetryfromboxesaspossible.Thisdataformsthebasisformoreadvancedgoalssuchasanalytics,IBN,andautomation.



Standards Groups Developments to Watch

InadditiontotheextensiveuseofAPIsandnetworkmanagementprotocols,anumberofstandardsorganizationsareworkingoncreatenewstandardsforinteroperabilityamongserviceproviders.ThesewillbeimportantforenablingSDNsthatcanspantheWAN,fromdatacentertodatacenteroracrossclouds.It'seasiertocreateanSDNintheclosedenvironmentofonecloudplatform,buthardertomanageanSDNthatspansmultipleserviceprovidernetworks.Toprovidefullautomation,networkserviceandcontrolwillneedtobeimplementedacrossdomainsandclouds(e.g.carrier-to-carrier,or

IPtooptical),whichrequiresindustrystandards.

Severalgroupsareworkingonsuchstandards.OneofthemorerecentindustrydevelopmentsistheMEF'sintroductionoftheMEF3.0frameworkatitsannualeventinNovemberof2017,theMEFintroducedanewgroupofstandardsforcarrier-to-carriernetworksfordynamicCarrierEthernet,wavelength,IP,SD-WAN,Security-as-a-Service,andothervirtualizedservicesthatwillbeorchestratedoverprogrammablenetworksusingLifecycleServiceOrchestration(LSO)APIs.Thegoalistoenableserviceorchestrationofacrossmultipleprovidersandovermultiplenetworktechnologydomains(e.g.,PacketWAN,OpticalTransport,SD-WAN,5G,etc.).ThiswillbeimportantforimplementingSDNautomationincloud-to-cloudconfigurations.

Alargenumberofserviceprovidershaveembracedtheeffort,includingCenturyLink,CharterCommunications,Colt,OrangeBusinessServices,PCCWGlobal,TataCommunications,andVerizon,amongothers.

JeffreySchwartz,AssociateVicePresident,ManagedNetworkServicesandCloudEnablement,TataCommunications,summarizedthegoalsofMEF3.0,inarecentstatementfortheMEFconferenceheldinOrlando,Fla.inNovember:

“AtTataCommunications,wewanttomakecloudadoptionmoreseamlessforenterprisesthroughtheautomationofservicedeliveryandgreaterapplication-levelcontrol.We’recommittedtothedevelopmentofindustrystandardssuchasMEF3.0,harnessingournetworkingandcloudexpertiseandpartnershipsintheglobaltechnologyecosystemtohelpacceleratedigitaltransformationinenterprisesworldwide.”

Someofthekeyindustrystandardsorganizationsfocusedonlargeenterpriseandserviceprovidernetworksareoutlinedbelow.



ETSI

TheEuropeanTelecommunicationsStandardsInstitutethisyearpublishedsixnewspecificationsgoverningtheuseofnetworkfunctionsvirtualization(NFV)services,whichenableoperatorstodeployservicesonavirtualizedinfrastructure.BecauseSDNwillbeusedtoconfigureandconnectNFVplatforms,itisimportanttotrackhowNFVplatformsconnecttoSDNsformanagement,monitoring,andanalytics.

Forexample,thenewETSINFVspecificationsdefinesAPIsenablingmultivendorinteroperabilityforservicedeployments,accordingtoETSI.Forexample,thesestandardscouldbeusedtodefinehowtoconfiguresecurityandSD-WANservicesusingNFV.ETSIsaysitisalsoworkingonstandardsforinteroperabilitywithOperationsandSupportSystems(OSS)incarriernetworks,withtheformationofanewZero-TouchISGgroup.

IETF

TheInternetEngineeringTaskForce(IETF)isalargeopeninternationalcommunityofnetworkdesigners,operators,vendors,andresearchersthathasguidedtheInternetarchitectureanddevelopmentofimportantstandards.Themostfamousofthese,ofcourse,isInternetProtocol(IP).TheIETFisinvolvedinawiderangeofstandardsgoverningthedevelopingoftheInternet.SomeoftheimportantnetworkingstandardsithascreatedincludeMPLS,OSPF,andSIP.

WhiletheIETFlargelyconcernsitselfwithIP-basedtechnology,ithasagrouplookingatSDN,knownasI2RS,whichhasdonesomeworkonsouthboundprogrammingprotocols,NFVandnetworkservicechains.

The Linux Foundation

TheLinuxFoundationoverseesanimmenserangeofopen-sourceprojectsandstandardsfocusedoncloudcomputingandopen-sourcesoftware.ManyofthesearefocusedonSDNintheoperatorenvironment,includingthecarrieroperatingsystemprojectONAP,SDNcontrollerOpenDaylight(ODL),OpenFlow,andCORD,whichisamodelforbuildingcloudplatformsforNFV.

TheLinuxFoundationhasbeenconsolidatingmanySDNprojectsandtools,mostnotablyOpenFlow,CORD,ONAP,andODL,whicharebeingusedtobuildvirtualizedinfrastructureincarrierenvironments.Thisisanimportantroleandfurtherconsolidationiswelcomeasitcanhelpoperatorstrytomanage"standardssprawl"withopen-sourceprojectsproliferating



MEF

TheMEFisworkingwithmanyoftheworld’sleadingserviceandtechnologyproviders,opensourceprojects,standardsassociations,andenterprisestorealizedynamicservicesorchestratedacrossautomatednetworks.

TheMEF3.0servicesframeworkfamilyincludesdynamicCarrierEthernet,wavelength,IP,SD-WAN,Security-as-a-Service,andothervirtualizedservicesthatwillbeorchestratedoverprogrammablenetworksusingLSO(LifecycleServiceOrchestration)APIs.TheLSOReferenceArchitectureenablesthestandardizedofLSOAPIsthatenableorchestrationofservicesacrossmultipleprovidersandmultipletechnologydomains(e.g.,PacketWAN,OpticalTransport,SD-WAN,5G,etc.).ThiswillbeimportantforimplementingSDNautomationincloud-to-cloudconfigurations.

The Open Compute Project (OCP)

TheOpenComputeProject(OCP),isacommunityoftechnologyleadersinthecloudcomputingenvironmentwhichhasbeendrivingstandardizedhardware,software,andequipmentdesignforclouddatacenters.

TheOCP'soriginalfocusispurehardware,withstandardsforelementssuchaspowersupplies,serverracks,andbatterybackupsystems.Butithasbranchedoutintootherareas,suchasauniversalcustomerpremisesequipment(CPE).ThemaingoalofOCPistodrivestandardizedcomponentsthatcanbeusedtobuildcloudservices.

TM Forum

TheTMForumworkscloselywithserviceprovidersandothercarrierstandardsgroupssuchastheMEFtodefinecarrierinteroperability,whichasdiscussedwillbeincreasinglyimportanttoguidingconnectivityofSDNandautomationbetweencloudsandcarriernetworks.TheTMForummaintainsasuiteof50+REST-basedOpenAPIscollaborativelydevelopedtobeusedinserviceprovidernetworks.ManyoftheseAPIsareusefulformonitoringandfaultmanagement.SomeexamplesoftheTMForumAPIsincludetheAlarmManagementAPI,CustomerManagementAPI,PerformanceManagementAPI,andResourceFunctionActivationandControlAPI.

Inanimportantrecentdevelopment,theTMForumiscooperatingtoinsureinteroperabilitybetweentheMEF’sLSOandMEF3.0frameworkandTMForum’sOpenAPIframework.ThegoalistocreatestandardizedAPIstoenableSDNarchitecturesfromdifferentnetworkserviceproviderstointeroperatewitheachother.TheincreasedcooperationbetweentheMEFandtheTMForumisencouragingbecausemanyserviceproviderexpertshaveregularlyexpressedconcernaboutthevolumeofstandardsorganizationsandconsolidationandcooperationshouldhelpstreamlinetheprocess.



Technology component and functions

Puttingallthecomponentstogethertocreateaclose-loopautomatedSDNisnoeasytask.Rightnow,largeoperatorsareaccomplishingthisbyintegratedacollectionofmonitoring,analytics,andnetworkingtools--includingbothopen-sourceandvendorproducts.

Futuriombelievesit'slikelythatSDNswillevolveovertimemuchliketheLinuxserverandvirtualizationecosystem:Vendorswillemergeasintegratorsfortheoperators,helpingtopackageandtestelementstoworktogether.

ThechartbelowdescribeshowtheSDNecosystemisbeingbuiltforlargenetworkoperatorsandserviceproviders.Thefollowingsectionprovidesdetailonrecentvendordevelopmentsinparticularareas.

IV: The SDN 2.0 Ecosystem



Networking Fabric Systems and OSes

SDNnetworkingsystemshelpintegratemonitoring,analytics,andnetworkfabricfunctionalitytobuildalivingandbreathingnetworkthancanrespondtochangesinapplicationsflowsandfaults.Tobuildthis,youfirstneedanintegratedSDNfabricwithasmuchtelemetryandnetwork"awareness"aspossible.ThetrendintheindustryisincreasedintegrationbetweenthesoftareoverlayandtheunderlyingnetworkinghardwareOS(underlay).

InitiallySDNwasaboutdisaggregatingsoftwareandhardwarecomponentssothatheterogeneoussystemscouldbebuiltusingsoftwareoverlays,mixingandmatchingahardwarebox,OS,andsoftwarenetworkingoverlay.VMware'sNSXwasthefirstdominantSDNsoftwareoverlay,anditisstillaleadertodaywithabillion-dollarrunrate.However,Cisco Systems hasmadestrideswithitsapplicationscentricinfrastructure(ACI),whichintegratesanSDNsystemwithahardwareunderlay.Butinsomecasesthesetwosystemsareusedtogether,tointegratethefunctionalityofboththeunderlayandtheoverly.

Someoperatorshaveconcludedtofullcontrolandvisibilityrequiresintegrationwiththehardwareunderlay.ThishasledaresurgenceinSDNstartupsthatprovidebothasoftwareoverlaywithintegratedOSunderlay.

StartupssuchasPluribus Networks havegoneall-inonunderlayintegration,featuringitsownOSthatrunsthenetworkfabricandisintegratedwithanalyticsandmonitoringapplications.Recently,PluribusmadewaveswhenitwasrevealedthatitwastheunderlyingnetworkinginfrastructureforEricsson'sHDS8000networkfunctionsvirtualization(NFV)platform.

Big Switch Networks alsoimplementsaproprietaryOSoncommodityhardware,producingintegratedsystemsincludingapartnershipwithDell.ItisusingamodularapproachtodeliveringitsSDN,whichsplitsitsBigCloudFabric,thenetworkingsoftware,andtheBigMonitoringFabric(or"BigMon"),whichdeliversmonitoringandsecurityapplications.

Arista Networks hasbeenfocusedonsellingitsownswitchingsystemsratherthanloadingSDNsoftwareoncommodityhardware,whichmakessomeSDNpuristssayit'snotan"real"SDNcompany.ButonecouldarguethatArista'soperatingsystem,EOS,wasthefirsttoenableinteroperabilitywithotherhardwarebyenablingtheextensiveuseofAPIs.Aristahasdeliveredaseriesofmonitoringapplications,includingCloudVisionAnalyticsandTelemetryApps.ItusesopenAPIsandnetworkingprotocolsincludingeAPI,YANG,NETCONF,RESTCONF,andgRPCand.



Orchestration and Automation Platforms

Anuta Networks marketstheNCXNetworkServiceOrchestratorplatform,whichabstractsconfigurationinformationbyaccessingIETFstandardYANGservicemodelsonnetworkdevices.Itallowsoperatorsandnetworkmanagerstoorchestratedevicesfrom35+vendorsusingtheirindividualAPIandCLIs. NCXalsoenablescustomdevice,service,andoperationalmodelswithYANG.Oncethenetworkismapped,thesoftwaregeneratesup-to-dateconfigurationandtopologydiagramsforauditandcomplianceinitiatives.Then,specificapplicationsmonitorandanalyzenetworkbehavior,includingtheverificationofconnectivityandsecuritypolicies.

Apstra isoneofthenewerSDNstartupsonthescene,deliveringamanagementandautomationplatformthatabstractsnetworkdataandsitsabovethehardwarelayer.ApstrapioneeredtheconceptofIBN,whichusesacombinationoftelemetryandanalyticstodrivethenetworkprogrammatically.Italsohasthecapabilitytointegratelayer2overlayrunningonalayer3underlayusinghardwareAPIs,actingasaconfigurationplatformforheterogeneousnetworks.SourceshavetoldFuturiomthatsomeleadingserviceprovidersarelookingatApstratoautomatetheconfigurationofunderlaynetworksastheymovetocloud-basedplatformssuchasNFV.

Forward Networks isanotherSDN2.0softwareandautomationcompanythatislookingtouseIBNtomodeltheautomationofnetworkconfiguration. ForwardNetworkssecurelycollectsdataaboutconfigurationandnetworkstatefromallnetworkdevicesviaSSH,issuingaseriesofCLIcommands.Oncethenetworkismapped,thesoftwaregeneratesup-to-dateconfigurationandtopologydiagramsforauditandcomplianceinitiatives.Then,specificapplicationsmonitorandanalyzenetworkbehavior,includingtheverificationofconnectivityandsecuritypolicies.

Network Monitoring, Performance Management (NPM), and NPBs

Networkmonitoringsystemsandtelemetryarekeytothecollectingtherightdataonnetworkfunctionsandapplicationsthatcanbeusedbyanalyticsprogramstodrivenetworkautomation.Thishasbeenaparticularlyactiveareaforvendorsinrecentyears,astheypositionthemselvestosellsophisticatedmonitoringproductsthatcanbeadoptedforSDNandNFVproducts.It'salsoalargeandcomplicatedspacethatincludessometimesdiscretecomponentssuchasnetworkperformancemanagement(NPM),TAPs,networkingmonitoringtools,andNPBs--onlyasmallsegmentwillbeadaptedforSDNandNFV.Theforemostrequirementisfunctionalitythatcanbedeliveredinsoftware,whichislimitingtomanyofthemonitoringcompaniesthataregearedtowardspecializedhardwaredevices.

NPMisagiganticcategorythatincludesmanyperformancemonitoringandmanagementtools.Forthepurposesofthisreport,wewillonlycommentonthegeneraltrendofthiscategoryandhowitrelatestoSDNwithspecificrecentdevelopments.FuturiombelievesthatpacketflowdatawilleventuallybebuiltintotheSDNfabric,obviatingtheneedforthesetoolsinmanynetworks.Asof



today,manySDNplatformsrequirethird-partyNPMandmonitoringtools.SomekeyproviderofNPMproductsincludeCA,Cisco,NETSCOUT,Viavi,andSevOne.ManyoftheseproductsfocusoncollectingnetworkandflowdatasuppliedbyprotocolssuchasSNMP,Netow,orSflow,analyzingthenetworkperformance,andhelpingtodiagnoseproblemsandpossiblesolutions.

Apacketbrokercanbeadiscretenetworkcomponentthatliterallybrokerspackets—ithasthecapabilitytoduplicatepackettrafficfromthenetworkandmanagehowitisprocessedinvalued-addedapplicationssuchasNPManalyticsandsecurityproducts.SomeoftheleadingpacketbrokersolutionscomefromBig Switch,Gigamon,Viavi,andNETSCOUT.Thepacketbrokermarkethasgrownfast,drivenbytheneedformonitoringpacketdata,especiallyforsecuritypurposes.Whilethepacketbrokerproductcategoryislikelytobeviableforsometimeinenterprise,itwilllikelybethreatenedinlargerenterprisenetworksandserviceprovidernetworksbySDNproductsthatareintegratedthefunctionalityintothenetworkfabricitself.ThisisalreadyhappeningasproductssuchasPluribus Networks'Netvisor,whichintegratespacketvisibility,andBig Switch’sstrategytosellpacketbrokerasaseparateapplicationthatcanbeusedwithitsSDNfabric.ThequestionthisleavesiswhetherpacketbrokerisaseparateproductcategoryintheSDNworld,ormerelyafeature.Overtimeit’smorelikelytobesubsumedintoSDNfabriccapabilities.

Service Assurance Tools

ServiceprovidernetworksoftenrequirehighlyspecializedservicemonitoringandserviceassuranceproductstodeliverQualityofService(QoS)andenforceservice-levelagreements(SLAs).SomeofthevendorsinthiscategoryincludeAccedian,CENX,Infovista,andNETSCOUT.Sometimestheseproductsincludespecialsoftwareprobesorevenspecializedhardware(networkinterfacecards)tobepluggedintothenetworktoprovidegranularnetworktelemetry.ThiscategoryisalsoatriskatbeingintegratedintoanSDNfabric,andFuturiombelievesthatthevaluepropositionforSDNistoincorporatethisfunctionalityinthefuture,thoughthesefunctionsarehighlyspecilalized.Thenear-termtrajectoryisyouwillseealotofactivityinpartnerships,integration,andevenmergersbetweenSDNfabricsinpartner-builtservice-assurancesolutions.



NPM, Monitoring, and NPB Integration Trends for SDN

ManymonitoringandNPMcompanieshavepositionedthemselvesforSDN.AstheSDNpure-playcompanies(allmentionedabove)addmonitoring,analytics,NPM,NPB,andserviceassurancefunctionstotheirnetworkingsuites,pure-playNPMandmonitoringproductsarelookingtopartnerorintegratewiththesevirtualizednetworkenvironments.ThishasledtosomerapidconsolidationandalsofinancialmovesinvolvingmanymonitoringandNPBcompanies.

Forexample,NETSCOUT hasbeenaggressivelyrollingupmanydifferentcategories,purchasingArborNetworks(security),FlukeNetworks(troubleshootingandanalytics),TektronixCommunications(trafficinspection,customerexperiencemanagementandanalytics)andVSSMonitoring(networkpacketbrokers).NPBproviderGigamon wasrecentlytakenprivate.

OthernetworkingmonitoringcompaniesthatspecializeinserviceassurancearepositioningthemselvesastoolsforSDN2.0.Forexample,EXFO isabroad-basednetworkingtestandmeasurementcompanythatisrollingoutasuiteofsoftwaremonitoringproductsgearedforSDNandNFVplatforms.AcadreofserviceassurancespecialistsincludingInfoVista andCENX aretargetingSDNintheserviceprovidernetworkingmarket.Cisco hasbeenemphasizingitsTetrationproductline,whichisdesignedtomonitorandcollectdatatodriveanalyticsfunctionalitythatwillintegratewithCisco'sACIplatform,thoughthecompanyisintheearlystagesofintegratingthesefunctionsanddidnotrespondtospecificrequestsforinformationinthisreport.Youcanseetheappendixformoreinformationonthesecompanies.

Withamyriadofmonitoringandanalysisproductsonthemarket--NPMs,TAPs,monitoring,serviceassuranceandNPBs--onlyasmallsegmentwillbeadaptedforSDNandNFV.Theforemostrequirementisfunctionalitythatcanbedeliveredinsoftware,whichislimitingtomanyofthemonitoringcompaniesthataregearedtowardspecializedhardwaredevices.Togiveareal-worldpictureofhowthisishappening,thenextsectionzerosinonrealworlddeploy



IV . Conclusion

SDN Fabrics & Open Data Yield Integrated Platforms

Sinceitsintroductioninthe2010timeframe,SDNhascomealongway.Initiallydefinedby

disaggregatedhardwareandsoftwareaswellasbynewnetworkingprotocolssuchOpenFlow,SDN

hasexpandedtobecomeamuchbroadersystemcomprisingmanyplatforms,management,

monitoring,andautomatonfunctions.

TheemergenceoffullyfunctioningSDNfabricsthatcancreatevirtualizedswitchingenvironments

createsnewopportunitytointegratesoftware-basedmonitoringandanalyticsfunctions.Thisis

enablingSDNtoscaletolargernetworks,particularlythoseinserviceprovideroperations,which

areinneedofmoreopenandscalableplatforms.Furtherinteroperabilityandconfigurationtools

areneededtointegratemulti-vendorservice-providerenvironments.Inaddition,newdatamodels

neededtostandardizeoperationsandstreamlinetheadoptionofAPIs.

Ourresearchintothelargeenterpriseandservice-providermarketindicatesaresurgencein

interestinSDNplatforms,particularlythoseaddressingplatformautomationandorchestrationfor

theservice-providerspace.Thereasonforthisisthatcreatinginteroperabilityandautomationin

largerenterpriseandserviceprovidernetworksisexceedinglycomplexandwillrequire

cooperationinthevendorcommunityaswellasstronginnovationfromthestartupcommunity.At

thesametime,leadingstandardsorganizationssuchastheONF,MEF,andTMForumhaverealized

theneedtocoordinatedataandstandardsmodelstoguideinteroperability.

Asthisinnovationmovesforward,opendatamodels,APIs,andSDNplatformswillopenupnew

opportunitiesforreal-timemonitoringandanalyticsofSDN.Data-drivenmodelswillpavetheway

fortheautomationthatlargenetworkoperatorsarelookingfortoreducetheoperatingexpenses

andincreasethecapacityoftheirnetworks.

Disclaimer: Thisreportsincludesbothobjectiveandsubjectiveinformation.Futuriomhasmadeabesteffortto

ensurethatallverifiablepublicdataisaccurate,butdatacanquicklybecomeout-of-dateandmistakescanoccur.

Futuriomwilldoitsbesttocorrecterrorsbutthereaderisencouragedtoverifyinformation.Inaddition,this

reportincludessubjectiveopinionsoftheanalyst.Thisinformationisprovidedfor informationpurposesonly

and isnot intended for tradingor investment purposes;thereportmayincludecertaininformationtakenfrom

stockexchangesandothersourcesfromaroundtheworld;RaynoMedia.Inc.doesnotguaranteethesequence,

accuracy,completeness,ortimelinessoftheinformation.ForthefullTermsofServicepleasesee

http://www.futuriom.com/termswhichyouhaveagreedtoinsubscribingorreceivingthis report.

Company Profiles of Leading SDN 2.0 Players

Product Type: SDN Fabric and OS Target Market: Service providers, enterprises

Description: NetvisoroperatingsystemsoftwarefromPluribusNetworksisascalabledata center-classNetworkOperatingSystem(OS)thatvirtualizesopennetworkinghardwaretobuildaholistic,distributednetworkthat’sintelligent,automated,andresilient.Enablingoperationalflexibility,theNetvisorOScombinesbest-in-classlayer2andlayer3networkingfoundation,thehighlyscalabledistributedAdaptiveCloudFabricarchitecture,andembeddednetworkperformancemonitoringtelemetry.Being software-enabled and built on open networking platforms, NetvisorOShasbenefitsoverfirstgenerationSDNarchitecturesandtechnology.InadditiontobeingthefoundationforAdaptiveCloudFabricarchitecture,Netvisorhelpsbuildadistributednetworkthatbringsthebenefitsofcloud-scaleandadaptabilitytothemoderndatacenterwithoutacontroller.

� EliminatestheSDNcontroller,radicallysimplifyingthenetworkarchitecturewithnoproprietaryprotocols

� Virtualizesunderlyingswitchhardware,enablingmultiplenetworkinstancesonasingleswitch

� Plugandplayoperationwithautomatedprovisioningandmanagement

� Supportsageographicallydistributedoperatingenvironment

� Fullyinteroperablewithexistingnetworkdeploymentstosupportbrownfieldenvironments

Analytics Details: PluribusInsightAnalyticsdeliversFlowandPacketanalysiscapabilitieswithaneasy-to-usedashboardtovisualizekeynetworkandapplicationperformancemetrics.Extensivefiltering,andcorrelationcapabilitiesenablesuserstoquicklydrill-downtovisualizeconnectionsfordetailedanalysisworkflows.Userscantagspecificassets,suchasIPaddresses,VLANs,MACaddresses,andswitchports,withcontexttoeasilyaggregateandfilterflows.Integratedalertingcapabilitiesenablequicknotificationofcriticaleventsbasedonconnectionattributesastheyoccur.WithInsightAnalytics,theITOperationsteamcanunderstandhowusersandservicesareconsumingtheinfrastructureandconverselyhowtheinfrastructureissupportingtheusersandservices.

Customers: PluribusNetworksisnotdisclosingcustomernames.However,thecompanysaysithascustomersattwoofthetopfiveglobalbanks,twoofthetopcomputingcompanies,aswellascustomersintheinsurance,electricity,andelectronicsindustries.PluribusNetworksalsohas10+serviceprovidersincludingSwisscomandTelstra.

Company URL: http://www.pluribusnetworks.com

Documents

SDN 2.0 Master v1.5 - Pluribus Networks · Companies: Apstra, Big Switch, Pluribus Networks, Accedian, Anuta Networks, Arista Networks, CA, Cisco, EXFO, Forward Networks, Gigamon,