Deployment Guide

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Introduction
OpenFlow (OF) 1.0 [STD-1] is supported on the S4810, S4820T and Z9000 platform and MXL switches.
Overview
In a software-defined network (SDN), an external controller-cluster manages the network and the resources on each
switch. OpenFlow is a protocol used for communication between the controller and the switch.
Figure 1. OpenFlow Topology — Overview
SDN offloads all switching and routing protocol state machines to the controller. A simplified and efficient software
layer on the switch programs the forwarding tables.
Using OpenFlow, you can transmit the switch’s ports and forwarding tables to the controller, allowing the controller to
configure forwarding entries on the switch. OpenFlow also allows the controller to insert control packets through the
switch and to redirect any missed flow packets from the switch to the controller.
The flows in OpenFlow allow the switch to match based on the following parameters:
• ingress port
• virtual local area network (VLAN) ID
• VLAN priority (vlan-pri)
• destination MAC address (DMAC)
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