What’s Cisco OpFlex? How does it differ from OpenFlow?

May 15, 2023

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Understanding Cisco OpFlex

OpFlex is a southbound protocol in a software-defined community (SDN) designed for communications between the SDN Controller and the infrastructure (switches and routers). The key phrase right here is “Multi-vendor setting” – i.e. Openflow designed to help all the seller networking units. The aim is to create a typical that permits insurance policies to be utilized throughout bodily and digital switches/routers in a multi-vendor setting.

How does OpFlex differ from OpenFlow?

Prima facie, OpFlex sounds loads like OpenFlow – “an open customary that permits the SDN Controller to work together with the infrastructure” nevertheless, each Opflex and Openflow differ loads as we talk about additional on their capabilities. Additional, we have to perceive 2 phrases to know intimately –

Crucial is used to explain centralized SDN Controller the place requests from functions (through Northbound APIs) is obtained and SDN controller directs how Community units have to be configured. Caveat – SDN Controller might be single level of failure within the community.
Declarative is used the place SDN controller declares the appliance wants and informs the downstream Community units on learn how to meet utility necessities. The choice making is distributed amongst community system and controller offloads itself from all the choice making. It primarily units central coverage.

Now that now we have some readability on Crucial and Declarative working of SDN controllers, it could be sensible to say

Openflow is for Crucial management
OpenFlex is for Declarative management

Key Options of Cisco OpFlex

OpFlex is a part of Cisco’s Software Centric Infrastructure, a hybrid bodily and digital technique utilizing Nexus 9000 switches and an Software Coverage Infrastructure Controller that centralizes and automates coverage administration for the Nexus 9000 cloth. It could handle as much as 1 million endpoints.

OpFlex, the southbound API, is an open and extensible coverage protocol used to switch summary coverage in XML or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) between a coverage controller such because the Cisco APIC and any system, together with hypervisor switches, bodily switches, and Layer 4 via 7 community providers.

Cisco and its following companions, are working via the IETF and open supply neighborhood to standardize OpFlex and supply a reference implementation.

Intel
Microsoft
Crimson Hat
Citrix
F5
Embrane
Canonical

OpFlex is a brand new mechanism for transferring summary coverage from a contemporary community controller to a set of sensible units able to rendering coverage. Working towards the wave of Crucial management expertise, as is finished by current protocols such because the Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB), OpFlex is designed to work as a part of a declarative management system comparable to Cisco ACI through which summary coverage may be shared on demand.

Along with its implementations within the open supply neighborhood, OpFlex is likely one of the main mechanisms via which different units can alternate and implement coverage with the Cisco APIC. OpFlex defines that interplay. Because of this, by integrating quite a lot of units from each Cisco and an ecosystem associate utilizing the Cisco ACI cloth, it may be used to supply funding safety.