Owner's Manual

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Introduction
OpenFlow (OF) 1.0 [STD-1] is supported on the S4810, S4820T, S6000, Z9000, 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.
In the example topology below, the controller uses the OpenFlow protocol to communicate with two
S4810 switches.
Figure 1. OpenFlow Topology
OpenFlow offloads all switching and routing protocol state machines to the controller. A simplified and
efficient software layer on the switch programs the forwarding tables.
Dell currently supports OpenFlow version 1.0. For information about exceptions, refer to Exceptions.
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