vocabulary:
  name: Software-Defined Networking Vocabulary
  description: >-
    Core vocabulary and taxonomy for Software-Defined Networking (SDN),
    covering control plane architecture, data plane management, controller
    APIs, and network programmability concepts.
  version: '1.0'
  created: '2026-05-02'
  modified: '2026-05-02'

domains:
  - name: SDN Architecture
    description: Fundamental SDN architectural concepts
    terms:
      - term: Software-Defined Networking
        definition: >-
          A network architecture approach that decouples the control plane
          (decision-making logic) from the data plane (packet forwarding),
          enabling centralized, programmable network management.
      - term: Control Plane
        definition: >-
          The layer of the SDN architecture responsible for making routing
          decisions and managing network state, hosted in the SDN controller.
      - term: Data Plane
        definition: >-
          The layer responsible for forwarding packets based on flow rules
          installed by the SDN controller, implemented in switches and routers.
      - term: SDN Controller
        definition: >-
          The centralized software application that manages the network,
          maintains network state, and programs data plane devices via
          southbound APIs like OpenFlow.
      - term: Northbound API
        definition: >-
          The interface between the SDN controller and network applications,
          typically implemented as REST APIs (RESTCONF) enabling applications
          to configure routing, security, and QoS policies.
      - term: Southbound API
        definition: >-
          The interface between the SDN controller and network devices,
          using protocols like OpenFlow, NETCONF, and OVSDB to program
          forwarding rules on switches and routers.

  - name: SDN Protocols
    description: Key protocols used in SDN implementations
    terms:
      - term: OpenFlow
        definition: >-
          The foundational SDN southbound protocol enabling the controller
          to program flow tables on OpenFlow-enabled switches, defining
          match-action rules for packet forwarding.
      - term: RESTCONF
        definition: >-
          An HTTP-based protocol (RFC 8040) that provides a REST interface
          to YANG-modeled data in SDN controllers like OpenDaylight, enabling
          northbound API access to network configuration and state.
      - term: NETCONF
        definition: >-
          An IETF standard protocol (RFC 6241) for network device configuration
          management using XML-encoded data, commonly used as an SDN southbound
          interface for traditional network devices.
      - term: YANG
        definition: >-
          A data modeling language (RFC 6020) used to model configuration and
          state data for network devices and protocols, forming the foundation
          for RESTCONF and NETCONF data models.
      - term: OVSDB
        definition: >-
          Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol, a southbound interface
          for managing Open vSwitch (OVS) virtual switches in SDN deployments.

  - name: Network Topology
    description: Network topology and resource concepts
    terms:
      - term: Topology
        definition: >-
          The logical or physical arrangement of nodes and links in the network,
          maintained by the SDN controller through network discovery protocols.
      - term: Node
        definition: >-
          A network device (switch, router, or host) in the SDN topology
          identified by a unique node ID.
      - term: Link
        definition: >-
          A connection between two termination points (ports) on network nodes,
          representing a physical or logical network path.
      - term: Flow Rule
        definition: >-
          A match-action entry installed in a network device's flow table
          that determines how packets matching specific criteria are forwarded.
      - term: Flow Table
        definition: >-
          A table in an OpenFlow-enabled switch containing flow rules that
          the SDN controller has programmed for packet forwarding decisions.

  - name: SDN Controllers
    description: Key open-source SDN controller platforms
    terms:
      - term: OpenDaylight
        definition: >-
          An open-source SDN controller platform hosted at the Linux Foundation,
          providing a RESTCONF-based northbound API and supporting OpenFlow,
          NETCONF, and other southbound protocols.
      - term: ONOS
        definition: >-
          Open Network Operating System, an open-source SDN controller
          designed for service provider networks, providing REST APIs for
          topology, flows, hosts, and device management.
      - term: Floodlight
        definition: >-
          An open-source OpenFlow controller providing REST APIs for network
          management, developed by Big Switch Networks.