Cisco, IBM And Other Top Vendors Push Smart Networking Standard: Page 2 of 2

Arising from a six-year research collaboration between Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, SDN consists of two primary elements: a software component called OpenFlow and a set of management interfaces for network service providers. The aim of the ONF initially will be to encourage the adoption of the OpenFlow standard through free licensing.

The nascent technology is already prompting some concern. In a message posted to David Farber's Interesting People mailing list, privacy advocate Lauren Weinstein observed that without a network neutrality framework, SDN could limit the services or options of Internet users. "While the stated possible positives of such technology are real enough, the same mechanisms could be used to impose exactly the sorts of walled gardens, service degradations and 'pay to play' limits that are at the heart of net neutrality concerns, as dominant ISPs in particular would be tempted to leverage this technology to further restrict user applications to the benefit of their own profit centers," he wrote.

Yet any technology can be misused. Absent a clear and present danger, technical innovation shouldn't be shunned because the politics of network management remain unsettled.

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