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Best SDN-NFV Consulting Service Provider
Software-defined networking (SDN) is a big term that comprises several kinds of network technology that is aimed at making the network agile and flexible. It is the virtualized server and the storage infrastructure of the modern data centre that helps many businesses to ease solutions.
The main goal of SDN is to permit network engineers and operating administrators to reply rapidly to changing business requirements. Well, in a software-defined network, there is a network administrator that can shape the traffic from a centralized control console and all this without having to touch the individual switches.
In turn, it can deliver services wherever and whenever they are needed in the network horizon. For this, there is no need for any specific devices, a server or other hardware components to be connected to. Furthermore, the key technologies for SDN implementation are quite a functional separation, automation and network virtualization through programmability.
Let’ see what is the difference between SDN and NFV?
Network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) are two meticulously related technologies that frequently exist together in business, but not always. Thus, NFV and SDN both move toward network virtualization and automation, but both these technologies have different goals altogether. An SDN can be significantly considered as a series of network objects – like routers, switches, and firewalls.
These are deployed in a highly automated and mechanized manner. This automation may be achieved by the use of commercial or open source tools — like SDN controllers and Open Flow, these are based on the administrator’s requirements. It is important to know that a full software-defined network may likely be covering relatively straightforward networking requirements like VLAN and interface provisioning.
At times, in many cases, the SDN will also be linked to the server virtualization, offering the glue that sticks the virtual networks together. It may also consist of NFV, but not essentially. NFV is a process of moving services such as – firewalls, load balancing and intrusion prevention systems that are away from dedicated hardware into a virtualized environment. And this is also part of a wider movement toward the virtualization of applications and services.
Have a look at the summary, to understand the difference between the two:
| Category | SDN | NFV |
|---|---|---|
| Reason for Being | Separation of control and data, centralization of control and programmability of network | Relocation of network functions from dedicated appliances to generic servers |
| Target Location | Campus, data center/cloud | Service provider network |
| Target Devices | Commodity servers and switches | Commodity servers and switches |
| Initial Applications | Cloud orchestration and networking | Routers, firewalls, gateways, CDN, WAN accelerators, SLA assurance |
| New Protocols | OpenFlow | None yet |
| Formalization | Open Networking Forum (ONF) | ETSI NFV Working Group |
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SDN-NFV
The key technologies for SDN implementation include functional separation, automation, and network virtualization through programmability. SDN controllers and OpenFlow are commonly used tools based on administrators’ requirements.
SDN can be linked to server virtualization, serving as the glue that connects virtual networks. It facilitates communication and data exchange between virtualized servers, enhancing overall network performance and efficiency.
NFV allows network functions to be dynamically instantiated, scaled and moved as virtual instances. This agility enables network operators to quickly respond to changing traffic patterns and business requirements without being tied to specific hardware.