Registration closes on 16 November 2020 at 5:00pm EST

Online via WebEx

Course Description

This is an introductory course to Software Defined Networking (SDN) as a control plane (CP) technology for optical networks. The course will cover the main drivers, uses, key benefits, current trends and underlying technologies around the concept of an SDN control plane focusing, notably, on transport networks and covering mainly the aggregation and core network segments.

The main part of the course will describe the main SDN concepts and functions, starting with common layered architectures, addressing both functional aspects (elements and interfaces) as well as protocol ones (stacks, encodings, formats) while presenting how common control plane functions -- resource discovery, inventory, topology and connection management – are implemented.

In particular, the course will present common trends such as the use of Openflow or Netconf/Restconf, Model Driven development, telemetry and data analytics and the use of Yang as a unified data modeling language. Existing open source projects (e.g. ODL, ONOS,...), initiatives (e.g. OpenROADM, OpenConfig) and tools / frameworks (e.g., pyang) will also be briefly introduced by means of  examples.

The final part of the course will concentrate on describing more complex use case scenarios, related to the applicability to multi-domain and multi-layer networks. Architectures based on either hierarchical or peer models will be examined, highlighting issues such as scalability, topology visibility or confidentiality, and covering the concepts and roles of abstraction and orchestration. Finally, driven by the need to offer services beyond network connectivity provisioning, the course will end up discussing the current and new trends in control plane design, providing and overview of network virtualization, network slicing and the ongoing integration of SDN and NFV.

Who Should Attend

This beginner & advanced-beginner level course is intended for a diverse audience, including network researchers, architects and engineers, willing to understand the basic concepts, benefits, architectures and protocols behind the notion of control  plane, along with its applicability to both single- and multi- domain/layer networks. The course assumes a basic knowledge of networking (e.g. basic IP networking, concepts of packet switching & circuit switching). Some basic knowledge of network control architectures and protocols will help in better understanding the course but is not a prerequisite. The course will also address new trends in both research and product development, such as the integration of SDN / NFV and orchestration of heterogeneous systems.

Learning Objectives

This course will enable you to:

• Define and describe the basic concept(s) of a control plane and its associated functions, such as resource discovery, topology management, path computation, signaling, and routing.
• Identify the objectives & key benefits and of a control plane, ranging from the well-known dynamicity, reduction of operational expenses, automation of QoS provisioning and recovery, etc., to newer drivers such as modularity, extensibility and programmability.
• Describe common architectures, including centralized, distributed and hybrid approaches. Describe their applicability in multi-layer and multi-domain networks by composing into hierarchical and peer models. Compare the main advantages and drawbacks of each architecture.
• Detail existing control plane architectures and protocols, ranging from ASON/GMPLS, PCE, to SDN and ONF Open Flow.
• Recognize and discuss control plane open issues, missing research and standardization gaps such as common information and data models and highlight the role of de jure and de facto standards as well as Open Source projects. Get an insight into new trends including the orchestration of network and IT (computing & storage) resources, and of heterogeneous systems and domains (technological, administrative or network segments)
• Explore the basics and the role of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and its relationship with   SDN.

Course Agenda

Course Materials

Each registered participant receives a copy of instructor slides and access to the recording of the course for 20 business days after the live lecture. Earn 0.6 IEEE Continuing Education Units for participating.

Upon registration, you will automatically be emailed the WebEx invitation for the course session, but you will also be sent a reminder message to join the WebEx session prior to the start of the course. Course materials will be emailed to you and will be available for download from the WebEx session page for this course, the day prior to the scheduled course date.

Course Cancellation and Refund Policy: Requests for online course cancellations must be received 3 business days prior to the course date for a full refund. Once course materials have been shared with a participant, a cancellation request cannot be accommodated.