Japan’s O3 (O Three) Project, which is back by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, announced a number of SDN milestones:
3. Technologies for developing virtualization-compatible SDN nodes — uses the integrated control of multiple layers and domains to realize communications devices (nodes) that enable flexible changes in the network configuration and network quality of telecommunications carriers. They are aimed at telecommunications carrier networks comprised of networks within data centers (DCs) and networks between DCs, and consist of two technologies: “automatic tunnel-setting processing” and “packet-aware optical path processing.” The “automatic tunnel-setting processing” technology is aimed at networks within DCs and the connection between networks within and between DCs. It automatically sets a tunnel protocol for configuring a virtual network within the SDN software switch. This technology is an expanded version of the high-performance open-source SDN software switch Lagopus(8), which the project has been developing. The “packet-aware optical path processing” technology is aimed at networks between DCs. Based on the situation of resources within the upper packet transport layer, it provides multiple optical paths (ODUflex(9)) of optical core networks with various band frequencies within the lower layer. For the control, the project proposed and standardized the OpenFlow protocol expansion method(10), which is similar to packet layer control. Whereas each network previously required separate nodes, the new technologies enable a single node (multi-layer node) to realize the optical core network and packet transport, and another to realize the IP network and tunnel protocol. This reduces the number of nodes and enables the efficient use of resources, and can lead to lower capital expenditure (CAPEX). In addition, by realizing automated tunnel protocol setting and the automated and targeted control of optical paths, operating expenditure (OPEX) can also be reduced.
Key players in O3 include NTT, NTT Communications, Fujitsu Limited, and Hitachi.
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