cyber-security-resources/SCOR/Traditional-Networking Planes-and-Introduction-to-Software-Defined-Networking.md

### Traditional Networking Planes

**1. Data Plane (or Forwarding Plane):**
- **Function**: The Data Plane is responsible for the actual forwarding of packets based on the information it has. It involves hardware devices like switches and routers that use forwarding tables to send data packets from one point to another within the network.
- **Characteristics**: This plane is highly optimized for speed and efficiency because it deals with the high volume of data that needs to be processed and forwarded.

**2. Control Plane:**
- **Function**: The Control Plane is where routing decisions are made. It involves network protocols (like BGP, OSPF, etc.) that determine the best path for data packets based on the network topology and policy.
- **Characteristics**: The Control Plane is logically separate from the Data Plane and can be more flexible and complex, as it does not need to operate at the same high speed.

**3. Management Plane:**
- **Function**: The Management Plane is responsible for administrative tasks such as configuration, maintenance, and monitoring of the network. This is where network administrators interact with the system, usually through CLI (Command Line Interface) or GUI (Graphical User Interface).
- **Characteristics**: It operates at a much slower pace compared to the Data and Control Planes and is focused on ease of use, stability, and security.

### Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

SDN is a revolutionary approach that decouples the network's Control Plane from the Data Plane, centralizing control and making the network programmable.

**Key Aspects of SDN:**

- **Centralized Control Plane**: SDN moves the Control Plane from individual network devices to a centralized controller, which has a global view of the network. This allows for more intelligent and flexible routing decisions.
- **Programmability**: Network administrators can programmatically configure network behavior in a centralized manner, using software applications that communicate with the controller via open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
- **Agility and Flexibility**: SDN facilitates rapid network reconfiguration, adapting to changing application requirements and traffic patterns. It enables on-demand resource allocation, network slicing, and automated provisioning.
- **Network Abstraction**: SDN abstracts the underlying hardware from the applications and network services, allowing for more efficient resource utilization and simplified network management.