Here is a list of the major differences between SDNs (Software-Defined Networks) and the traditional/conventional networks:
➡️SDN or Software-Defined Networking, as the name says, is software based.
?Traditional networks are hardware based.
➡️SDN uses centralized control plane.
?Traditional networks use distributed control plane.
➡️SDN is programmed from a centralized controller.
?Traditional networks are configured by logging into each network device.
➡️SDN separates control plane from data plane. Controller controls, devices forward.
?Traditional networks combine control plane and data plane in each network device. Router learns network paths (control plane function) and forwards packets (data plane function).
➡️SDN focusses on application requirements.
?Traditional networks focus on networking requirements.
➡️SDN is highly flexible and scalable as there is less dependency on hardware. Think of cloud environments.
?Traditional networks have fixed requirements and not that easy to scale. Most often, scalability means hardware upgrades.
➡️SDN creates virtual networks (think of multi tenancy) on top on physical network. Logical paths are created for specific types of traffic.
?Traditional networks have been dedicated and designed for specific purposes.
➡️SDN is considered more secure due to increased visibility to network traffic, centralized control and integration with a lot of security tools and technologies.
?Traditional networks provide limited visibility. Securing the network requires securing many disparate network segments and individual devices.
➡️SDNs are cost effective due to reduced cost of maintenance.
?Traditional networks require more maintenance efforts and cost.
➡️SDNs are highly adaptive and support new technologies and application requirements like Kubernetes.
?Traditional networks cannot meet demands for changing application requirements. For example, cloud computing cannot function without SDN.
➡️Finally, SDNs automate a lot of processes from provisioning to monitoring thereby providing massive upper hand compared to traditional networks!
