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Course Outline

SDN Fundamentals

  • Comparison between traditional and software-defined networking paradigms
  • SDN architecture: data plane, control plane, application plane
  • OpenFlow protocol fundamentals
  • Advantages and challenges of SDN adoption
  • Overview of the open source SDN ecosystem

Linux Networking Foundations

  • Network namespaces and isolation techniques
  • Differences between Linux bridges and Open vSwitch
  • Traffic control (tc) for Quality of Service (QoS) and traffic shaping
  • VXLAN and GRE tunneling in Linux
  • Network configuration management using systemd-networkd and NetworkManager

Open vSwitch Deep Dive

  • Architecture and components of Open vSwitch
  • Installation and initial setup procedures
  • Bridge configuration and port management
  • Flow rules and features of OpenFlow 1.3/1.5
  • Support for VLANs and tunneling (VXLAN, Geneve, GRE)
  • Bonding and LACP configuration
  • Monitoring and troubleshooting OVS

OVN (Open Virtual Network)

  • OVN architecture and integration with OVS
  • Logical switches and routers
  • NAT, load balancing, and ACLs in OVN
  • DHCP and DNS services integration
  • Using OVN for Kubernetes networking
  • Comparing OVN with traditional Open vSwitch deployments

FRRouting (FRR) Implementation

  • Overview of FRR architecture and components
  • Installation and basic configuration
  • BGP configuration and policies
  • Deployment of OSPF and OSPFv3
  • IS-IS for data center fabrics
  • BFD for fast failure detection
  • Route filtering and redistribution

EVPN and VXLAN with FRR

  • Fundamentals and use cases of EVPN
  • VXLAN control plane using BGP EVPN
  • MAC address advertisement and learning
  • Configuration of distributed anycast gateways
  • Multi-tenant Layer 3 VPNs with EVPN
  • Troubleshooting EVPN deployments

SDN Controllers Overview

  • The role of the SDN controller in network architecture
  • Controller deployment models: centralized, distributed, and hybrid
  • Introduction to OpenDaylight and its architecture
  • Overview of the ONOS platform
  • Criteria for selecting controllers

Deploying OpenDaylight

  • Installation and setup of OpenDaylight
  • Karaf container and service management
  • Basics of MD-SAL and application development
  • OpenFlow plugin and switch management
  • YANG models and data modeling
  • REST API and northbound interfaces

Deploying ONOS

  • Architecture and components of ONOS
  • Installation and cluster setup
  • Device and link discovery processes
  • Application development model
  • Intent-based networking with ONOS
  • Integration with programmable pipelines (P4, NPL)

Network Programmability

  • REST APIs and JSON-RPC for network automation
  • gNMI (gRPC Network Management Interface)
  • YANG data modeling for configuration
  • NETCONF and RESTCONF clients
  • Python libraries for SDN (RYU, POX, ryu)
  • Writing custom SDN applications

Automation and Orchestration

  • Using Ansible for network automation
  • Utilizing Terraform for network infrastructure
  • Configuration management at scale
  • Continuous deployment for network changes
  • Integration with CI/CD pipelines

Traffic Engineering and Policies

  • Traffic classification and marking
  • Implementation of Quality of Service (QoS) with OVS/FRR
  • Policy-based routing
  • Path computation and optimization
  • Introduction to Segment Routing
  • Monitoring traffic flows and performance metrics

Security in SDN Environments

  • Security considerations for controllers
  • Securing OpenFlow channels (TLS)
  • Access control and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for SDN
  • Network segmentation and micro-segmentation
  • DDoS mitigation strategies using SDN
  • Security monitoring and incident response

SDN for Data Centers and Cloud

  • Data center fabric design with SDN
  • Network virtualization for multi-tenancy
  • SDN integration with OpenStack and Kubernetes
  • Service chaining and NFV integration
  • Hybrid cloud networking with SDN

Production Deployment and Operations

  • High availability design for SDN controllers
  • Scalability planning and performance tuning
  • Backup and recovery strategies
  • Monitoring SDN infrastructure
  • Troubleshooting SDN environments
  • Upgrade procedures and maintenance windows

Summary and Future Directions

  • Challenges of SDN adoption and lessons learned
  • P4 and programmable data planes
  • AI/ML applications in network automation
  • Emerging standards and protocols
  • Community resources and continuing education opportunities

Requirements

  • Strong understanding of TCP/IP networking and routing protocols
  • Experience with Linux networking tools (iproute2, iptables, nftables)
  • Knowledge of switching and VLAN concepts
  • Familiarity with network monitoring and troubleshooting techniques
  • Basic proficiency in Python or shell scripting

Audience

  • Network Engineers transitioning to SDN
  • DevOps Engineers managing network infrastructure
  • Cloud Infrastructure Architects
  • System Administrators responsible for network configuration
 35 Hours

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