AS5800-EC Series CLI Reference Guide R02

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1 Introduction and Boot Mode
This chapter includes information on the execution modes of the switch. The
switch’s execution mode is selected during boot-up. It is essential that you select
the correct mode that matches your data networks operations.
Introduction
This switch can be used either as a bare metal switch in an OpenFlow SDN
environment or as a traditional switch utilizing the Edgecore AOS (EdgeCOS)
firmware.
Legacy Mode
(AOS - EdgeCOS)
In AOS (EdgeCOS) mode of operation, the switch functions as a traditional switch
designed for legacy networks. AOS (EdgeCOS) provides a broad range of features
for Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing. It includes a management agent that
allows you to configure the features documented in this guide. The default
configuration can be used for most of the features included with the switch.
However, there are many options that you should configure to maximize the
switch’s performance for your particular network environment.
SDN Mode
(OpenFlow)
In the SDN mode of operation, the switch uses Broadcom OpenFlow-Data Plane
Abstraction (OF-DPA) software which is a hardware adaptation layer between
OpenFlow and the switch’s Broadcom ASIC SDK. Using OF-DPA requires you to
configure the OpenFlow agent software on the switch to communicate with an
OpenFlow controller to receive and transmit OpenFlow protocol messages.
An OpenFlow Network controller is programmed to compute and allocate the
switch’s resources in an SDN environment based on incoming traffic resource
requests and the current network resource state. OF-DPA provides an API to the
OpenFlow agent to configure the switch’s resources. The API represents resources
such as for example, flow tables and ports which can be assigned by the SDN
OpenFlow controller to forward the traffic.