Chapter 5.  Getting Started with OpenDaylight

In Chapter 2, Introduction to Software-Defined Networking, we showed how SDN solves the challenges faced by traditional networking when it is used in a cloud network infrastructure. We understood the need for a distributed control plane and centralized management in modern data center networking designs. It was highlighted that SDN technologies must provide abstractions, programmatic APIs, and multi-vendor support.

Let's now focus our attention on a specific SDN platform called OpenDaylight (ODL). OpenDaylight is an open source SDN platform developed by a community supported by key companies from the technology industry. The ODL project was launched in the year 2013 and its most recent release is named Beryllium. In a short span of time ODL has become the SDN and NFV platform of choice for the industry.

ODL addresses the key needs for SDN by supporting network abstractions, rich APIs, and multi-vendor support. Its architecture...