Forget cool, OpenFlow and networking is now hot!

Over a year ago on this blog, I posed the question, Can Networking Be Made Cool Again? A lot has changed since then. The pendulum has swung back, and now networking is hot. In the past year Cisco hit a major speed bump, the OpenFlow networking protocol has burst into the popular consciousness and the first new wave of startups has emerged to meet the changing requirements of the large-scale, highly virtualized data center network.

Many have been waiting for it, but this year, the cracks in Cisco’s dam finally burst open for all to see. The networking giant has lost $60 billion in market cap in the past year, hammered by Wall Street for its flirtations with consumer, collaboration and other noncore businesses. Simultaneously, Cisco flubbed the emergence of the web-scale data center customer. Its UCS servers and Nexus switches are out of touch with these customers’ performance requirements — laden with features they will never use yet must pay handsomely for.

The emergence of OpenFlow

In the same time period, OpenFlow has emerged from the Stanford labs and exploded on the scene. OpenFlow is a protocol that defines how external controllers communicate with switches to program their forwarding tables. The reaction of the networking industry reminds me a lot of what happens when I put a shiny new toy in front of my six-month-old daughter. First she stares at the toy intently, then bats at it a few times, ultimately succeeding in grabbing hold. Then she jams it straight into her mouth. We are currently still in the frantically swatting stage. You’ll know the industry has jammed OpenFlow into its mouth when you see Cisco supporting third-party controllers programming their switches.

Despite the purported revolutionary nature of OpenFlow, the concept of separating the control plane from forwarding is nothing new. One example of this architectural practice is the use of a parallel signaling network for call setup and teardown in the plain old telephone system. An OpenFlow control serves a conceptually similar function for packet switches. It’s ironic to see this decades-old voice concept now wreaking havoc in the data world.

But just because the concept isn’t new doesn’t mean this isn’t an important development. However, OpenFlow itself is just an interface protocol. As Nicira CTO Martin Casado put it, “OpenFlow is about as exciting as USB.” What matters is the value you can deliver in the controllers leveraging it and the potential change in industry structure enabled by the standardization of this interface. Standardization and abstractions allow the emergence of third-party controller vendors who don’t make switches. This is the truly exciting development and the one that scares the incumbent switch vendors, no matter how much lip service they pay to embracing OpenFlow.

Don’t look for the VMware of networking

In most of the discussion around OpenFlow the market seems infatuated with trying to identify the VMware of networking. This makes for splashy headlines but is a flawed analogy. What is really needed before that concept can take hold is the Linux of networking. I am sure that that won’t be the network operating systems from the major vendors, including Cisco’s NX-OS, Juniper’s JUNOS, or Arista’s EOS.

All of this virtualized software is great, but let’s show some respect to the physical layer. Web-scale data centers still need switches — big, dense switches to connect servers. Interop was the coming-out party for OpenFlow, and the number of vendors that showed up for the OpenFlow Lab at Interop this year was impressive. Cisco and Arista were conspicuously absent. Not surprising, since the whole concept behind OpenFlow — taking the control plane and routing computation physically out of the router — is a scary thought for them.

I suspect the next shoe to drop is that the networking industry gets Open Computed. It is inevitable that an open-source hardware architecture for the large chassis switch gets released, likely driven by a consortium of large customers. When combined with the external software control enabled by OpenFlow, this will really shake things up. Once this happens, it will be akin to the shift that took place in the server and database layers in the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Early large-scale websites were built with Sun servers and Oracle databases, while today commodity servers and open-source databases are the norm in many environments.

Hurry up and wait

While the disruptions coming to the networking industry are real, it is important not to overhype the speed at which they will take place. These transitions take time, lots of time; Cisco and Juniper are amazing companies, full of world-class technologists and with massive installed bases of customers. They are not going out of business tomorrow because of OpenFlow, nor are they going to sit idly on the sidelines. This isn’t the first time a new technology emerged that purported to be a major threat to Cisco’s dominance. MPLS is a good example of a technology that was supposed to do serious damage to Cisco but that it ultimately embraced and came to lead.

It has been exciting to see networking back in the spotlight again, and I suspect the next year will be even more exciting and dynamic. Two promising startups, Big Switch and Vcider, launched this week at Structure 2011, and a number of others are still percolating in stealth mode.

Perhaps the most exciting promise of the software-defined networking movement is simply that it will increase the velocity of innovation in the industry. As the promise of these new technologies is delivered in the next 12–24 months, they will find use cases that are not restricted to the largest web properties but reach into other applications, including network security and potentially all the way down into the enterprise wiring closet. It has the potential to disrupt and reshape the industry. This means networking is cool again.

Alex Benik is a principal at Battery Ventures.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• The Structure 50: The Top 50 Cloud Innovators
• Infrastructure Overview, Q2 2010
• How Much Integration Is Too Much in the Cloud?

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Six Easy Networking Tips for Introverts

I’ll confess up-front; I’m an introvert. I spend a lot of time on my own – and I find it tiring to be around lots of other people.

Being an introvert actually works out pretty well for me. I’m a writer, so a big part of my day involves sitting at my computer, working alone. When I do work with other people as a writing coach, it’s usually one-on-one (I can cope with one other person!)

Of course, I can’t spend the whole of my life alone or with just close friends and family.

In both my professional and personal life, I get out there and meet people from time to time. And I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. If you’re an introvert – if you feel shy and awkward in a room full of strangers – then here’s how to make it easier for yourself:

#1: Get to Know People Beforehand
One of the many things I love about the internet is that it makes it incredibly easy for me, an introvert, to strike up a connection with total strangers. When I’ve been to networking events, I’ve found it incredibly helpful to have some established friends there already.

How do you find people who’ll be at the event? Try:

• Forums or similar on the event’s website
  
• Twitter – search for the name of the event
  
• Blog posts – is anyone you know going?
  
• Facebook – the event itself may have a page
  
• LinkedIn – will any of your contacts (or their contacts) be attending?

Obviously, this one’s easier if you operate in a pretty geeky world (I hang out with a lot of bloggers and writers...) but more and more people are getting online, in all sorts of professions.

If you’re going to a very large event, like a multi-day conference, you may want to make specific plans to meet up. You could even arrive a bit early so you can get a meal with a friend or a small group of friends before the event itself starts.

#2: Go Prepared
If you’re attending a new event, you might have all sorts of worries about how to get there, what it will be like, who’ll be there, and so on.

I’m always less anxious when I feel well-prepared, and I expect the same will apply to you. That means:

• Find out the dress code in advance. There might not be one – ask friends/colleagues who’ve attended before. Err on the side of over-dressing ... though if you’re in a suit and everyone else is wearing jeans, you may feel a bit awkward.


• Take a pen and small notebook. As a writer, I carry these with me anyway – but they’re useful to have on hand in all sorts of situations.


• Take business cards. You might have stock ones from work, but if you create your own cards, try to make them interesting. I use Moo.com to create cards with several different designs – that way, my new contacts can pick whichever one they like best. It’s a great talking point and much more interesting than thrusting a boring black-and-white card at someone.


• Carry breath mints, a comb, makeup, deodorant etc. Be prepared to make last-minute touch-ups to your appearance before you go into the event. You’ll know better than me what you’re likely to need!


• Take a map (or know the exact address). Allow a bit of extra time to get there, too, if you’re going somewhere new for the first time.

#3: Start a Conversation Straight Away
Have you ever been standing around awkwardly, trying to get up the courage to go and speak to someone? The longer you wait, the harder it is! When I was a student, I made a point of speaking in the first ten minutes of any class – that way, I found I was much more confident about contributing as the class went on.

The same applies to networking. As soon as you arrive, find someone to chat to. It’s often easy to strike up a conversation in the registration queue, for instance. Questions like “Have you been to this before?” can be a great way to get someone else chatting.

#4: Look for Someone Else Who Seems Shy
It can be very hard to break into a big group of people – especially when they all seem confident. Look for anyone on their own – perhaps standing in a corner, or loitering uncomfortably on the outskirts of a group. They probably feel just as shy as you do, and they’ll almost certainly be grateful if you go and engage them in conversation.

You don’t need to say anything scintillating to start chatting: a comment about some aspect of the event (the food, drinks, weather, decor) can be an easy way in, or you could simply ask “What do you do?” or “What brings you here?”

#5: Don’t Talk Too Fast
Many of us talk fast when we’re nervous. You might have to make a conscious effort to slow down – especially if you have a strong accent. (You may not think your accent is strong, but consider the people you’re networking with: I’m from the UK, and I occasionally have to repeat myself when I’m at events in the US.)

If you find yourself talking too much:

• Ask open-ended questions – encourage the other person or people to talk too
  
• Avoid interrupting people or finishing their sentences for them
• Get a glass of water to sip while talking (go easy if you’ve got an alcoholic drink...)
  

#6: Don’t Over-Analyze Afterwards
Have you ever come back from an event and cringed, thinking “I should never have said that” or “He must have thought I’m an idiot”?

Lots of introverts do this. We have a tendency to over-think and over-analyze things. I’ve seen blog posts and tweets by other introverts who were fantastic to chat to ... but who’re worried that they somehow screwed things up.

Even if you say something a bit daft or make some mistake, chances are, no-one even noticed. Don’t beat yourself up about it. The important thing is that you went to the event, and you had a go at networking – next time, it’ll be easier.

What do you find most challenging about networking – or what tips do you have on making it easier? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Written on 6/5/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: toomuchkatherine

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