Software Defined Networking (SDN) brings a revolution in managing network infrastructure by separating the control plane (network logic) from the data plane (data forwarding). OpenDaylight is an open-source SDN controller providing a flexible, modular, and versatile solution for network traffic management and policies.
Prerequisites
- Installed and updated CentOS 7
- Superuser (root) or sudo privileges
- Solid understanding of working in the Linux command line
- Basic knowledge of networking concepts and SDN
Installing Dependencies
Before proceeding with OpenDaylight installation, you need to install necessary dependencies on your CentOS 7 system. Open the terminal and run the following commands:
sudo yum update
sudo yum install java-1.8.0-openjdk-devel
Java is a crucial dependency for OpenDaylight, so it's important to install a compatible JDK version.
Downloading and Installing OpenDaylight
After installing dependencies, you can proceed to download the latest version of OpenDaylight from the official website. At the time of writing this article, the current version is OpenDaylight Lithium. Use wget to download:
wget https://nexus.opendaylight.org/content/repositories/public/org/opendaylight/integration/opendaylight/0.5.3/opendaylight-0.5.3.tar.gz
Extract the downloaded archive and navigate to the OpenDaylight directory:
tar -xvzf opendaylight-0.5.3.tar.gz
cd opendaylight-0.5.3
Running OpenDaylight
You can start OpenDaylight by using the ./bin/start command. This command will start OpenDaylight in the background. To interact with OpenDaylight, use ./bin/client.
Network Configuration and Management
After successfully starting OpenDaylight, you can access its web interface for network management. The default address for the web interface is http://localhost:8181/index.HTML. You may need login credentials, which are by default:
- Username: admin
- Password: admin
Creating and Managing Network Elements
OpenDaylight provides a REST API for programmable network control. You can create, modify, and delete network elements such as switches, routers, and virtual networks using REST calls.
Security and Maintenance
Securing your SDN network is crucial. Make sure to keep OpenDaylight and all dependencies updated to the latest versions to minimize security risks. Regularly monitor network traffic and configurations using built-in OpenDaylight tools.
OpenDaylight is a powerful tool for managing SDN, enabling flexible and dynamic control of network infrastructure. With its modular architecture and open standards, it's an ideal choice for enterprises and research projects alike. With CentOS 7 as the underlying operating system, you gain a stable and secure platform for running your SDN.
