HN817: Is There a Better Way to Do Software Defined Networking?

The podcast explores distributed Software Defined Networking (SDN) with Alex Krensel, a research engineer at Google and PhD student at UC Berkeley. Krensel contrasts the traditional centralized SDN model, noting its complexity and potential for failure, with a distributed SDN approach. The discussion highlights the architectural shift enabled by running containers on routers, which allows for in-band control and eliminates the need for a separate control plane network. The conversation covers the challenges of managing network churn and the benefits of faster convergence times in a distributed model. Krensel emphasizes the importance of dialogue between researchers and network operators to bridge the gap between theoretical models and real-world network management.