Georgia Tech is offering a free online course in Software Defined Networking (SDN)

veritas_libertas · March 2013

[h=2]About the Course[/h] This course introduces software defined networking, an emerging paradigm in computer networking that allows a logically centralized software program to control the behavior of an entire network.
Separating a network's control logic from the underlying physical routers and switches that forward traffic allows network operators to write high-level control programs that specify the behavior of an entire network, in contrast to conventional networks, whereby network operators must codify functionality in terms of low-level device configuration.
Logically centralized network control makes it possible for operators to specify more complex tasks that involve integrating many disjoint network functions (e.g., security, resource control, prioritization) into a single control framework, allowing network operators to create more sophisticated policies, and making network configurations easier to configure, manage, troubleshoot, and debug.

[h=2]Course Syllabus[/h]The course will tentatively have the following modules:
1. The history of software defined networking
a. 1980s: AT&T's Network Control Point

b. 1990s: Cambridge's Tempest Project

c. 2000s:

IETF's FORCES Working Group

AT&T's Routing Control Platform

4D and Ethane

2. Data-Plane Support for SDN
a. Software Routers: Click and Quagga

b. Programmable Hardware: NetFPGA (and follow-ons)
3. Control-Plane Support for SDN
a. Controllers: NOX, Onix, Floodlight

b. Programming languages: Frenetic, Procera
4. Application of SDN to Domains
a. Data Center Networking

b. Wireless Networking and Software Defined Radio

c. Enterprise and Campus Networks

d. Transit Networks
[h=2]Recommended Background[/h] Students should have taken at least an undergraduate-level networking course and have programming experience in Python. Experience with virtual machines and other virtual networking environments may also be useful.

[h=2]Course Format[/h] The course will consist of a series of video lectures, each about 10 minutes in length.
Assignments for the course will be lab-based programming assignments, likely building off of the Mininet software developed at Stanford University, which can run SDNs in emulated environments on networks of virtual machines.

[h=2]FAQ[/h]What resources will I need for this class?

We will use the mininet programming environment for many of the assignments for this course. You will want to develop some proficiency setting up virtual networks in this environment. In the first portion of the course, we will provide simple mininet tutorials, so it should be fairly easy to come up to speed. You should, however, have proficiency with basic networking concepts and facility with configuring networking in Linux environments.

What is the coolest thing I'll learn if I take this class?
You’ll learn how to use software programs to perform varying and complex networking tasks, ranging from usage management and resource control to implementation of more complicated network security policies.

[h=2]About the Instructor[/h]Nick Feamster Georgia Institute of Technology