Subject: Network automation and virtualizatation in the sdn. Author: Yunusov J. Verified: Mirzakulov X. Samarkand-2021 Thame

Network Automation Reaches the Next Level With SDN

Network automation is possible without SDN. But SDN adds a number of capabilities to conventional automation paradigms, which optimize IT resource requirements, improve security, and reduce cost.
SDN accelerates IT efficiency
In traditional network devices, both the control plane (governs access and supervisory functions) and data forwarding plane need to be programmed individually. To achieve a new traffic pattern, for example, if changes in existing configurations are warranted then the administrator has to re-configure the control plane in all the relevant devices, by using the command-line interface of the device OS. This is a resource-intensive process, and prone to errors.
Moreover, as long as the control plane is confined to individual devices, it is not possible to get a holistic view of the network infrastructure. Support teams need to keep track of individual device configurations, perform complex troubleshooting and time-consuming management tasks, which eats into budget and profitability.
SDN addresses these problems head-on. In an SDN-based model, devices retain their individual data forwarding planes; however, the control plane for all devices is centrally managed by a common controller. Changes to management configurations are made in one location and propagated to all network devices. This centralized approach abstracts actual business intent from the underlying hardware, and thereby simplifies network management tasks, and improves time efficiency.
With SDN, IT administrators have full visibility into network elements and applications spanning the entire infrastructure from a central location. This visibility enables administrators to enforce consistent policies, automate network functions at scale, achieve agility, and to reduce troubleshooting times and outages.
Improved routing intelligence
The centralized management control and holistic visibility take traffic routing efficiencies across networks to the next level. By exploiting software-defined network functions and virtualized services, traffic can be intelligently routed through optimal paths across the network. Advanced automation tasks can use this routing intelligence to activate or deactivate routes based on performance thresholds, such as network load, latency, and jitter. Predefined policies can automate load balancing, manage bandwidth, and perform root cause analysis.
AI can be used with SDN to build more sophisticated network automation scripts to efficiently manage the flow of data and traffic in various complex scenarios.