SDN and NFV - Innovations in Networking in the Cloud and Elsewhere
No field of technology escapes progress and development – not even the components that are the basic building blocks. For example, networking.
We can’t completely avoid cables and hardware, but what we can do is minimize the need for them.
Thanks to the virtualization of resources, we can simplify the work with networking for many companies. I’m not saying that experts won’t be needed anymore – the logic behind the networking doesn’t disappear – but it’s easier then to work with network elements.
Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) are not completely new. Recently, however, they have been gaining importance, not only individually, but also in combination.
So in today’s article we will look at how these approaches work, how they differ and how their combination is developing, which seems to be an important contribution to the development of edge, 5G or IoT technologies. It’s a quick overview of these topics, and for each you’ll find a link to additional information we’ve found if you’re interested in the nitty gritty.
What's SDN?
Software-defined networks enable centralization of management over hardware network components. Thanks to the use of a controller – that is, an application serving as a network control panel – you no longer have to manage each switch separately and decentralized. The switch connects to the controller and you can manage the data flow in one place. Network operation is therefore fully programmable.
The advantage is saving money on physical components, because the networking no longer depends on the products of one manufacturer, for example. It is also easier to replace a broken switch than in a traditional networking approach.
However, it is also necessary to mention that due to centralization, a problem may occur on the controller, which can then prevent complete operation. The system is therefore dependent on one point, which cannot afford to stop working properly.
More info – https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-defined-networking/
What's NFV?
Virtualization of network functions goes one step further. It replaces physical network components with software that runs on a virtual machine. Already from this description, you can see where the greatest benefit of this approach is. Not only is there no need to buy expensive hardware, but there is also no need to make other investments because such a network can be operated in a Pay-as-You-Go mode.
The problem lies in being an easier target because physical machines behave differently than virtual ones and therefore the approach to their security is also different.
More info – https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/network-functions-virtualization/?ref=gcse
How Do SDN and NFV Differ?
Now that we know what each approach to networking means, we can also see in which areas they differ.
We see that SDN enables efficient work with dedicated networking hardware and contributes to effective traffic balancing, which can also be easily configured in one central control panel.
But VFN focuses on efficient work with network changes, as it separates the functionality of the network from the dedicated bare metal and transfers it to virtual machines, which can be easier to work with in terms of things like scaling.
The difference is also in the bare metal that needs to be purchased. For SDN you focus on servers and switches, for NFV you only need servers.
More info – https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-sdn-and-nfv/?ref=header_search
Using SDN and NFV
An important point to mention is that these two technologies are not mutually exclusive in practice.
On the contrary, a number of professional articles has recently appeared that combined the use of these two architectures into one – SDN/NFV – in order to make networking more efficient – especially in the areas of currently developing technologies.
In general, we can say that this combination leads to
- Reducing latencies
- Performance increase
- Simplifying administration
- Increased flexibility
- Easy scaling
- Reduced costs
However, nothing is all rosy, so when deploying these technologies you also need to take into account
- Necessity of specialized knowledge
- Increase in non-physical security
The combination of these two approaches is on the rise and since it is a combination of two technologies, there are also higher demands to ensure the security of the entire solution. For a great detailed analysis of security and possible measures, see the study “SDN/NFV Security Challenges and Proposed Architecture“.
What Should You Keep in Mind?
In IT, the problem of cyberterrorism, cyberattacks and insufficient cybermeasures is accutely growing. In order to apply new approaches, not only to networks, we must face these challenges and recognize that we must constantly work on security.
Then it is possible that, for example, the SDN/NFV approach can become more widespread and companies can take advantage of it without sacrificing their security.
