The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) Carrier Working Group has completed a carrier requirements document addressing the transport network relevant part of a Software Defined Networking (SDN) architecture.
The document, “OIF Carrier Working Group Requirements on Transport Networks (TN) in SDN Architectures”, works to identify the following:
- Functions that need to be provided by a Control Plane enabled TN to an SDN controller or Orchestrator for realizing SDN use cases, applications and services
- Orchestrator functional requirements to ensure the desired coordination between functions and services spanning across multiple layers in a TN and crossing multiple SDN domains to achieve end-to-end service orchestration
- The combination of TN-relevant SDN architecture components – Data Plane, Control and Management Plane, and Orchestrator – and the relationship among them are referred to as “Transport SDN”.
The document supports the evolution of transport networks towards SDN architectures, summarizing what is already available and highlighting new features and functionalities to support the deployment of SDN applications,services and technologies.
The OIF said the next step will be to develop an SDN framework document that will provide future SDN related specifications and Implementation Agreements and also give structure to future OIF interoperability demonstrations. The OIF’s focus on Transport SDN involves the management, control and data plane layers of the network, as well as the new Orchestrator – coordinating actions among data centers and transport networks. Among carriers, there is a strong desire for a consistent set of SDN related standards and specifications to enable a seamless migration to SDN architectures. With a carrier requirements document in hand, equipment vendors can work to specify interfaces among SDN components such as network elements, different types of controllers and orchestration instances.
“I am more than happy that we have achieved our first milestone in defining carrier requirements on Transport SDN,” said Hans-Martin Foisel of Deutsche Telekom and the OIF Carrier Working Group chair and OIF board member. “This will not only guide our next steps inthe creation and implementation of technology to support Transport SDN but also will focus our communications with other SDOs and forums so that we can work together to streamline the different aspects of Transport SDN.”
The OIF has planned a public workshop on “Transport SDN: Cutting Through the Hype – Enabling Technologies, Practical Use Cases, and Apps” for Monday, February 10, 2014 in San Jose, CA. In addition, the OIF is in the planning stages for a 2014 interoperability demonstration that would address Transport SDN.