CHRIS PAGE SDN
S oftware-defined networking (SDN) is continuing to revolutionise how data centres, service providers and enterprises manage and control their optical networks. Over the past several years, SDN has mainly been used to virtualise and automate core networks, saving network administrators valuable time in managing their digital traffic. By separating decisions about where traffic goes on a network from how it is forwarded, SDN application programming interfaces (APIs) allow administrators to control traffic directly from a centralised console without manually reconfiguring individual switches or routers. As a result, SDN can provide flexible and scalable network architectures for companies needing to adapt to the changing demands of modern applications. Despite its benefits, SDN adoption has proven to be slower than experts had expected – a Verizon survey in 2018 found that only 15% of companies surveyed had deployed SDN solutions. One of the reasons why network operators, especially those outside the Tier 1 category, remain cautious in approaching SDN is the complexity of determining just how best to leverage it to improve the agility and intelligence of their networks. Now, as SDN use cases evolve beyond easily controllable core networks to the multi-technological topographies of access networks, we see two major requirements that SDN products need to satisfy for widespread adoption: interoperability with equipment from multiple vendors and the ability to leverage data trends in real-time to prevent errors before they happen. To demonstrate these points, this article examines the recent trends involving gradual SDN adoption in access networks; the role open source collaborations are playing in facilitating SDN integration with legacy equipment and how SDN applications can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to enhance the intelligence and uptime of optical networks. NEW CHALLENGES FOR SDN ADOPTION With the advent of revolutionary cellular systems like 5G and the proliferation of last mile fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments, cable access networks are becoming increasingly fibre deep and relying on innovative techniques like Remote-PHY to improve quality of service for their subscribers. As a result, industry interest in SDN functionality is now moving beyond core networks to fixed access networks. For years, fixed access networks across the world have been evolving to keep pace with the rising bandwidth demands of subscribers. From copper to fibre, these networks have become complex,
BUT THERE ARE CHALLENGES SDN COMES TO ACCESS NETWORKS
Chris Page , CTO, Telecommunications and Network Systems Division at Precision OT, explains how controller interoperability, machine learning- powered analytics and open source will drive SDN adoption.
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| ISSUE 16 | Q1 2019
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