Tutorial: Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networking Impacts to Military Networks

Description

Approved for 3 CompTIA CEUs: A+, Network+

The military relies heavily on networking technology for tactical edge battlefield communications, big data analytics, and cyber warfare operations. Military communications programs of record are tasked with leveraging commercial-off-the-shelf equipment that provides state-of-the-art networking capabilities for the warfighter. Traditionally, networking protocols and feature sets have been driven primarily by vendors who control a vast share of the network equipment market. In this model, network control software is highly proprietary and tightly coupled to specific hardware platforms. Consequently, flexibility in deploying novel networking protocols and features is limited by the vendor product lifecycle. Network function virtualization (NFV) and Software defined networking (SDN) break this model by decoupling the tight integration between proprietary networking operating systems and the forwarding hardware that handles packets. New frameworks for SDN operations have advanced the field of computer networking by providing simple, yet powerful abstractions to enable more dynamic network management, security, configuration, and adaptation. In this tutorial, we will provide an overview of NFV and SDN and their applicability to military network applications. We will compare these with traditional approaches, catalog some approaches to NFV/SDN both in the open-source as well as vendor-driven solutions, discuss some case studies where NFV/SDN has been deployed today, and provide a roadmap for existing and future deployments in military networks.

Tracks:

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  Continuing Education
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  Technical Tutorials