From: ietf-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
[mailto:ietf-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org] On Behalf Of
Linda Dunbar
- We all understand the challenges of "Full Automation". However, the
SDN and Full automation are two separate angles to Carrier networks. I
find the Section 4.1 "Implications of full automation" actually de-
rails the focus of the draft on SDN.
[WEG] I strongly disagree. First, "we all understand..." is an
overgeneralization, and a dangerous and grossly inaccurate one at that. Lots of
SDN vendors have repeatedly demonstrated to me how little they actually
understand about this problem. It's not a new problem by any means, but there's
a really significant amount of hand-waving going on around the complexities of
actually doing what they're saying is possible through the "magic" of SDN, when
few have demonstrated how the abstract concept "SDN" actually makes solving
this problem easier. The reality is that SDN and automation are inextricably
linked. The next to last sentence in section 2.3 reinforces this, and I believe
that 4.1 is absolutely appropriate for this draft. A truly software-defined
network is an automated one, and any discussion of an operator's perspective on
SDN is going to need to consider the same challenges that have been present in
prior attempts to better automate network management, provisioning,!
and control. There are two models for managing a network like this, one that
is fully automated, meaning that it is quite a lot more complex and susceptible
to "ghost in the machine" problems, the other which has a human making most of
the important decisions and then dictating those to the network. Even the
latter model requires a significant amount of automation to execute what the
human has decided should be done.
The things covered in section 4.1 mirrors a lot of the discussion that I have
had both internally and with other operators around the challenges of
separating the hype of SDN from the actual benefit, and in selling this model
to operations folks who are skeptical of ceding control to a set of computer
logic.
Wes George
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