Hands-on Workshop on
Open vSwitch and Software-defined Networking
Monday June 21 – Friday June 25, 2021
https://www.wastc.org/events/2021/vfdw2
- University of South Carolina (UofSC)
- Western Accademy Support and Training Center (WASTC)
- Online via Zoom
- NetLab link: https://netlab.cec.sc.edu/
Overview
The first part of the workshop will focus on Software-defined Networking (SDN). It will review fundamental concepts of SDN, followed by lab exercises using an open-source controller and OvS switches. Lab exercises will integrate technologies such as OpenFlow, ONOS, OvS, Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN), BGP, and others.
The second part of the workshop will focus on Open vSwitch (OvS). OvS is an open-source software switch designed to be used as a virtual switch in virtualized server environments. A virtual switch forwards traffic between different virtual machines (VMs) on the same physical host and forwards traffic between VMs and the physical network. The workshop will cover the basics of OvS as well as the implementation of standard protocols and management interface (e.g., 802.1Q, VLANs, command-line interface). It will also discuss the control of OvS using OpenFlow and the Open vSwitch Database management protocol (OVSDB).
Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, attendees will:
Software Defined Networking (SDN):
- Describe the main differences between Legacy Networks and Software Defined Networks
- Explain the roles of the data plane and the control plane
- Describe the fundamental characteristics of SDN: plane separation, centralized control, and network automation
- Explain the OpenFlow protocol used for communication between the controller and switches
Open vSwitch (OVS):
- Understand the basic concepts of Open vSwitch
- Enable packet forwarding using OpenFlow protocol
- Visualize and monitor OVSDB using ovs-vsctl tool
- Explore kernel datapath features using ovs-dpctl tool
- Configure and verify the QoS shaping method in Open vSwitch to limit the traffic flow
Intended Audience
The workshop is targeted to IT educators and professionals such as system administrators, network engineers, practitioners. The content is suitable for instructors who want to incorporate advanced material into their networking classes. The content is available for NETLAB systems.
Award Information
This activity is supported by NSF award 1829698. Link to official webpage: NSF-1829698
Pre-requisites
The laboratory environment consists of routers, switches, and hosts deployed in IPv4 networks. Attendees are expected to know basic networking (IPv4, local area networks, OSI model). Training activities will be conducted using NetLab. Attendees will be provided with a username and a password.
Agenda
DAY 1: Monday, June 21
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:10 | Workshop Overview [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno |
| 09:10 - 09:45 | Introduction to Software Defined Networking [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 09:45 - 09:55 | Break | |
| 09:55 - 10:05 | SDN Lab Series Overview [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 10:05 - 10:45 | Lab 1: Introduction to Mininet [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 10:45 - 10:55 | Break | |
| 10:55 - 11:45 | Lab 4: SDN Concepts, Controllers, Flow Tables [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Discussion and Summary of Day 1 | Jorge Crichigno |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13:00 - 13:45 | Office hours | Jorge Crichigno |
DAY 2: Tuesday June 22
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:10 | Review Labs 1, 4 SDN Series [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno |
| 09:10 - 09:50 | Lab 6: Introduction to OpenFlow [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 09:50 - 10:00 | Break | |
| 10:00 - 10:40 | Lab 8: Interconnection between Legacy Networks and SDN Networks [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 10:40 - 10:50 | Break | |
| 10:50 - 11:15 | Lab 8: Interconnection between Legacy Networks and SDN Networks (continuation) [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | Lab 9: Configuring Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Discussion and Summary of Day 2 | Jorge Crichigno |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13:00 - 13:45 | Office hours | Jorge Crichigno |
DAY 3: Wednesday June 23
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:15 | Discussion Interconnecting SDN and Legacy Switches [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno |
| 09:15 - 10:00 | Lab 9: Configuring Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | |
| 10:10 - 10:50 | Lab 10: Applying Equal-cost Multi-path Protocol (ECMP) within SDN networks [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Ali Alsabeh |
| 10:50 - 11:00 | Break | Jorge Crichigno |
| 11:00 - 11:40 | Current projects on virtual labs with NDG, VMware | |
| 11:40 - 12:00 | Discussion and Summary of Day 3 | Jorge Crichigno |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13:00 - 13:45 | Office hours | Jorge Crichigno |
DAY 4: Thursday, June 24
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:40 | Motivation and Introduction to Open vSwitch (OVS) [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 09:40 - 09:50 | Overview Open vSwitch Lab Series [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 09:50 - 10:00 | Break | |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Lab 3: Introduction to Open vSwitch [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 10:30 - 11:10 | Lab 4: Open vSwitch Flow table [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 11:10 - 11:20 | Break | |
| 11:20 - 11:45 | Lab 9: Open vSwitch Kernel Datapath [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Discussion and Summary of Day 4 | Jorge Crichigno |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13:00 - 13:45 | Office hours | Jorge Crichigno |
DAY 5: Friday, June 25
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:10 | Review Labs 3, 4 Open vSwitch Series | Jorge Crichigno |
| 09:10 - 10:00 | Lab 7: Implementing Routing in Open vSwitch [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | |
| 10:10 - 10:50 | Lab 6: VLAN trunking in Open vSwitch [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 10:50 - 11:00 | Break | |
| 11:00 - 11:30 | Lab 14: Quality of Service [PDF, PPT] | Jorge Crichigno, Shahrin Sharif, Elie Kfoury |
| 11:30 - 11:45 | Final Discussions | Jorge Crichigno |
Resources
| Resource | Comment | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Software-Defined Networks: A Systems Approach | A book that explores the key principles of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) | https://sdn.systemsapproach.org/ |
| Computer Networks: A Systems Approach book | A book that explores the key principles of computer networking | https://book.systemsapproach.org/ |
| Mininet | Virtual testbed enabling the development and testing of network tools and protocols | http://mininet.org |
| ONOS | Scalable and distributed SDN controller platform | https://www.opennetworking.org/onos/ |
| ONOS applications | Refer to "Apps and Use Cases" for ONOS applications | https://wiki.onosproject.org/ |
| SDN-IP | ONOS application that allows an SDN network to peer and exchange traffic with adjacent external networks using the BGP | https://wiki.onosproject.org/display/ONOS/SDN-IP/ |
| Wireshark | Packet analyzer used for network troubleshooting, analysis, protocol development, and education | https://www.wireshark.org/ |
| FRRouting | IP routing protocol suite for Linux and Unix | https://docs.frrouting.org/_/downloads/en/latest/pdf/ |
| Containernet | Mininet fork that allows to use Docker containers as hosts in emulated networks | https://containernet.github.io/ |
| MPLS Fundamentals book | A comprehensive introduction to MPLS, theory and practice | https://tinyurl.com/fhmd7r35 |
| 5G Mobile Networks: A Systems Approach | A book that explores the key principles of 5G mobile networks | https://5g.systemsapproach.org/ |
| Mininet installation | A guide that describes the steps to install Mininet on Linux | Mininet Installation Guide |