SDN allows applications to be abstracted and completely independent of underlying network implementations by using modern and popular communication and transport protocols, such as the following:
- OpenFlow: This is a protocol that allows access to the forwarding plane of a network switch or router over the network. OpenFlow allows network controllers to calculate a packet path across the network. Many products and companies are using OpenFlow to build their SDN networks, including OpenStack. OpenFlow is supported by leading network manufacturers, including Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, Dell, Arista, and others.
- Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN): This is an encapsulation protocol that allows running an overlay network on ...