Hopes and hypes of software-defined network

CALIFORNIA, USA: The networking industry is riding up the hockey stick curve of hype based on the hopes of new software-defined network (SDN)/programmable network technologies, finds research firm Infonetics Research.

In its latest 'SDN, 40G/100G, and MPLS Control Plane Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey', the research firm also finds that OpenFlow is the most developed programmable network initiative, and 80 per cent of survey respondents are including it in their purchase considerations.

Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst, carrier networks, Infonetics Research. "And while many uncertainties surround SDNs due to their newness, our survey confirms that the programmable network movement is real, with a good majority of service providers worldwide considering or planning purchases of SDN technologies to simplify network provisioning and to create services and virtual networks in ways not previously possible."

Ninety per cent of service providers surveyed plan to deploy 100GE interfaces; most will not use 40GE.

"What's striking here is that most of these SDNs don't exist yet or are, at best, ill defined," Howard adds.

IP/MPLS (with control plane) is much more popular than MPLS-TP among surveyed service providers.