SDN: Software Defined Networks Author: Thomas Nadeau D. | Language: English | ISBN:
1449342302 | Format: EPUB
SDN: Software Defined Networks Description
About the Author
Thomas D. Nadeau is a Distinguished Engineer in the PSD CTO Office at Juniper Networks where he is responsible for leading all aspects of Software Defined Networks and Network Programmability. Thomas received his BSCS from The University of New Hampshire, and a M.Sc. from The University of Massachusetts in Lowell, where he has been an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science since 2000 and teaches courses on the topic of data communications. He is also on the technical committee of several prominent networking conferences where he provides technical guidance on their content, as well as frequently presents.
Ken Gray is responsible for technical strategy and innovation for Juniper Network's Platform Systems Division, with a particular focus on core routing and the evolving area of Software Defined (Driven) Networks. Prior to his current role, Ken worked at Cisco Systems from 1995-2011 in a variety of roles, ultimately as a Principal Engineer working on the development and deployment of high-end routing platforms and operating systems. From 1984 to 1995, Ken was a network geek responsible for designing large public and private networks at a company that ultimately became Verizon. Ken has his MSEE (Telecommunications) from the University of Maryland.
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (September 4, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1449342302
- ISBN-13: 978-1449342302
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
I recently facilitated a discussion where we deliberated the business value of Software Defined Networking. This was an interesting exercise, since I was trying to get those involved to move beyond the technology and give examples of why SDN is important to the business itself. In preparation for that discussion, I reviewed the book SDN: Software Defined Networks by Thomas D. Nadeau & Ken Gray among a number of other sources.
I found the material in the book to be a useful orientation to the current state of the SDN market as well as develop a contextual understanding of the flexibility provided and the approaches needed to build value through an SDN. One point made clear through reading the material is that one of the key benefits is flexibility. You’ll only internalize what that means to your organization through experimentation and using SDN. This is best summed up through the following sentence from the last chapter.
“Though it’s too early to pick a winning technology, or even a winning definition of SDN, one thing remains true—the explorations into SDN will change our present method of operation.”
This book facilitates developing that contextual understanding of what the possibilities could be so that you can plan the approach that works best for you. There is no one right answer.
One of the areas I thought could have been brought out a bit more is the strategic implications of SDN on enterprise service functionality and architecture. It appeared the assumption was that there are no real implications on the applications (that generate business value) themselves. It is all about data packets as network traffic being routed more flexibly.
Overall, I believe the book has done an excellent job covering most of the Software Defined Networking topics, perhaps sacrificing depth in terms of the breadth of topic coverage. I think the authors would be the first to agree that it is an impossible task to do both, therefore they made a choice to cover most topics without drilling too deep into them.
As a network engineer by trade for the last 14 years, I, as well as others feel that the Software Driven (or Defined) Networking is the biggest shift in mindset and technology in the last decade. The winners of this movement is sure to dominate the market for years to come. As such, there is a lot of buzz and movement surrounding the umbrella term of ‘SDN’. It is almost mind blowing to see the pace of change at each and all of the projects. OpenStack, for example, has moved on from Quantum to Neutron in such short months since publication, which contains no small change, mind you. So the readers should keep in mind that any written book would be out-of-date by the time it is done. This should be treated as a starting point that is like sampling the food at a buffet, but to sink your teeth into a particular topic, you have to spend more time diving into that particular topic.
As a reader, I come funnily anticipated looking the lenses of the authors on the topic at hand. If there is any suggestions, I would appreciate the book to be more focused on topics that the authors feel might be more important. It does not need to be correct as there is probably no right or wrong answer, but at least thru the supporting points we can understand the analytical process of the author. For example, VxLAN vs NVGRE, OpenStack vs. CloudStack, OpenFlow vs. Hybrid; tell us what you believe will prevail with supporting thesis.
SDN: Software Defined Networks Preview
Link
Please Wait...