API Guide

ManualsBrandsDell ManualsAccess PlatformsPowerSwitch S4128F-ON/S4128T-ON

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OpenFlow

Switches implement the control plane and data plane in the same hardware. Software-defined network (SDN) decouples the

software (control plane) from the hardware (data plane). A centralized SDN controller handles the control plane traffic and

hardware configuration for data plane flows.

The SDN controller is the "brain" of an SDN. The SDN controller uses north-bound application programming interfaces (APIs) to

communicate with the business logic applications and south-bound APIs to set up controlled network devices, such as OS10

switches.

OpenFlow is an implementation of SDN. OpenFlow enables programmable networks. You can develop SDN controller network

applications using representational state transfer (REST) or JAVA APIs (north-bound APIs) to business logic applications. The

SDN controller uses OpenFlow south-bound APIs to communicate with the switches and relay information from business logic

applications.

Advantages of an SDN include customization, accelerating new feature development, lower operating costs, and fostering an

open, multi-vendor environment.

OS10 supports OpenFlow protocol versions 1.0 and 1.3.

OS10 supports OpenFlow-only mode. In this mode, the SDN controller controls data path of the switch. The OpenFlow pipeline

processes all data packets.

NOTE:

When the switch is in OpenFlow mode, all Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3) protocols are disabled. Link-level protocols

such as Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP), Dot1x, and Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) are disabled as well.

NOTE: OpenFlow Hybrid mode is not supported.

Supported Platforms

● S4048–ON

● S4048T-ON

● S4100-ON

● S4248FB-ON

● S4248FBL-ON

● S6010–ON

● Z9100–ON

● Z9264F-ON

NOTE: S3048-ON isnot supported.

OS10 OpenFlow implementation reserves VLANs 1 and 4095.

The following is a known OpenFlow restriction in OS10:

Converting the switch from OpenFlow mode back to Normal mode removes all OpenFlow configurations. The switch returns to

the pre-Openflow status. The management, interface (maximum transmission unit (MTU) and LLDP), and authentication,

authorization, and accounting (AAA) settings specified in the Normal mode are retained.

To start up the switch in Factory Default mode, you must:

1. Delete the startup configuration using the delete startup-configuration command.

2. Enter the reload command.

NOTE: Do not use the no openflow or no mode openflow-only command.

OS10# delete startup-configuration

OS10# reload

OpenFlow 1081