Track: Information Systems and Management

Abstract

The ordeal which network operators face in implementing traditional network protocols has posed a great challenge to network management. As digital revolution of the world continues to transpire, demand has been placed on the exertion of high-level policies that will take network management to the next level. A new world of network programmability, software-defined networking (SDN), recommends the separation of the control plane and the data plane, enabling routers and switches to use information from the control plane to forward incoming traffic out the appropriate egress interface. SDN therefore provides a means for network virtualization. In this article, we present a review, which focuses on the concept of software-defined networking and the challenges for future networks. We also take a look at some issues currently being faced by SDN. In conclusion, a summary of the review is given, highlighting the need for SDN in a global world.