MyRepublic launches MySDN Cloud VPN, aims to disrupt traditional WAN solutions market

ricky l8 seconds ago

I think before anyone junk their MPLS WAN network to replace it with SDN WAN - we need to understand what this SDN WAN is about.

Traditional MPLS network - is a fiber to router port - a dedicated line that go into our premises to be connected to our router via the telco CPE MPLS router. MPLS network need configuration of routers to support MPLS routing to work with enterprise routing.

SDN is software routing - where the underlying infrasttucture is network virtualisation and network provision through software-defined. Then what will be the physical connectivity - is it the same link-link connection or via the Internet? Looking at the article, this SDN is utilising Internet to provide the SDN WAN.

If SDN WAN is using Internet - will it be able to provide QoS - which can be offered by MPLS.

Also MPLS is a private network - which is more secure than Internet - though both MPLS and SDN can be secured by IPSec VPN.

When Internet is congested, drop packets, latency and response time cannot be guaranteed. Carrying Voice-over-IP and Video-over-IP will be an issue - as they are latency-sensitive and response-time sensitive.

But SDN do proivde fast, flexible and DIY provisioning over traditional MPLS which is a big plus.

Thus careful study is needed to determine is SDN a better WAN solution or MPLS solution - which in turn is business requirement driven.

ricky l8 seconds ago

Internet are linked up by routers all over the World.

To ensure QoS (Quality of Service) end to end - it will require DSCP (Diffserv Code Points) marking to be provision as priority queues for various traffic. In the event of congestion, priority will be given to the prioritised traffic and not-prioritised traffic will be drop first. Internet does not have such QoS provisioning.

MPLS routers are private network and such provisioning can be done at a cost for customers. As such voice-traffic and video-traffic and real-time sensitive traffic - is assured of the quality.

SDN is just a software defined software with underlaying network virtualisation riding on top of the physical network - which in this instance is Internet. But even if SDN can provision QoS, Internet physical network (hop-by-hop) routers need to honour it - else SDN will not have QoS.

ricky l8 seconds ago

SDN network for LAN or Cloud will make a lot of sense - as ease provisioning of network come very handy.

Eg. provisioning of multi-tenants, layer 2 VLANs, layer 3 routing, load balancing, firewall, vpn, VMs etc will be easily provisioned by SDN.