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How Google Is Using OpenFlow To Lower Its Network Costs - Cloud Computing News

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Apr 9, 2012 - 1:47PM PT

How Google is using OpenFlow to lower its network costs


By Stacey Higginbotham
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Google is checking out a new form of networking protocol known as OpenFlow, in the communications networks that run
between its data centers. The search giant is testing the use of software defined networks in order to lower the cost of
delivering a bit of information.

Google is checking out a new form of networking protocol known as


OpenFlow in the communications networks that run between its data centers. The search giant is testing the use of softwaredefined networks using OpenFlow in order to lower the cost of delivering information between its facilities, says Urs Hlzle,
SVP of technical infrastructure and Google Fellow in an interview with me.
Googles infrastructure is the stuff of engineer dreams and nightmares. The companys relentless focus on infrastructure has
led it to create a competitive advantage because it can deliver search results faster and for less money than the next guy.
Much like Dell conducts studies showing that lowering a table where people assemble its computers saves seconds and
costs, Google understands that investing in infrastructure can help it shave a few cents off delivering its product. And the
next area thats ripe for some infrastructure investment might be networking, specially using the OpenFlow protocol to
create software defined networks.

For Google, at a certain point, communications between servers at such a large-scale


can be a problem, notes Hlzle, who is speaking at the Open Networking Summit in Santa Clara next week. He explains that
the promise of OpenFlow is that it could make networking behave more like applications thanks to its ability to allow the

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intelligence associated with networking gear to reside on a centralized controller.


Previously, each switch or piece of networking gear had its own intelligence that someone had to program. There was no
holistic view, nor a way to abstract out network activities from the networking hardware. But with OpenFlow the promise is
you can program the network and run algorithms against it that can achieve certain business or technical goals.
I think what we find exciting is OpenFlow is pragmatic enough to be implemented and that is actually looks like it has some
legs and can realize that promise, he said. However, he added, Its very early in the history and too early to declare
success.
Google is trying the protocol out between data centers, although Hlzle didnt disclose details about how much Google is
saving and how widespread the implementation is. Hlzle said the search giant was trying to see how it could make its
wide-area network and long-distance network more flexible and speed up the delivery of services to users without adding
costs. However, costs for Google arent just measured in terms of bandwidth, but also in terms of people required to operate
the network or configuring it.
The cost that has been rising is the cost of complexity so spending a lot of effort to make things not go wrong. There is
an opportunity here for better network management and more control of the complexity, and that to me is worth
experimenting with, Hlzle said. The real value is in the [software-defined network] and the centralized management of
the network. And the brilliant part about the OpenFlow approach is that there is a practical way of separating the two things:
where you can have a centralized controller and its implementable on a single box and in existing hardware that allows for a
range of management and things that are broad and flexible.
But OpenFlow still requires some work. Hlzle said that there are issues with how you communicate between OpenFlow
networks and those that arent. So, today, Google takes its OpenFlow traffic and hands it over to a router running alternative
network protocols such as MPLS or BGP, what Hlzle calls a normal router. He expects that to change over time as things
standardize within OpenFlow and among vendors. As he said at multiple times throughout the conversation, these are early
days for OpenFlow and software-defined networks.

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Stacey is happy when immersed in SEC filings, tech specs or poking through a data center. She has spent the last 11 years
covering technology and finance for publications such as The Deal, the Austin Business Journal, The Bond Buyer and
BusinessWeek, and works remotely from Austin, Texas. At GigaOM,...

8 Comments

1.
Keith Townsend Monday, April 9 2012
Thanks. Im going to have to follow this more closely. Networks are extremely complex (thus expensive) as they
made of autonomous routers and switches that attempt to create a single system via these long in the tooth routing
protocols. If OpenFlow is successful of creating a single intelligent system thats controlled by a set of controllers
Google is right that this will revolutionize networking.
In theory this will continue the put to commodity of network devices making them basically dumb devices with ports
connected to a virtualized controller.
Almost makes me want to dust off my networking books :)
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2.
Keith Townsend Monday, April 9 2012
I shouldnt post while Im sleepy but you get the meaning.
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3.
Brent Salisbury Monday, April 9 2012
So refreshing to see the consumers drive the networking space. Pushing networking vendors to take some risk is great
for the industry. Decoupling the Network OS and abstracting up the stack may be revolutionary.
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4.
q Tuesday, April 10 2012
OMG! running alternative protocols like MPLS or BGP
RTFM ASAP!
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5.
q Tuesday, April 10 2012
@Keith Townsend Monday, April 9 2012
Dear Keith, MPLS with MP-BGP is successfully solving a Single system issue for ALL ISPs today. MPLS Stack in

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network equipment is already a commodity. What MPLS/MP-BGP Cant fix (yet) is L7 logic inflow into network
forwarding decision process. BUT if OpenFlow will, it will create a new market and in NO WAY shall it commoditize
network equipment, because new devices with new logic will have to be created, they can only work if deployed in an
e2e solution, this will make the TCO enormously big and bring the danger of vendor lock-in. So this whole story wont
fly for big operators, mostly for Content Providers who need to manage their application traffic.
thank you
q
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Keith Townsend Tuesday, April 10 2012


Good points. I know in the Enterprise most network teams Ive worked involved with have had a difficult time
understanding the entire network as a system. This is why I believe its difficult for Application and Server
Operations personnel to understand problems unique to the network. MPLS solves a specific set of problems
but as you stated when you move up the stack doesnt do as much for you. I can see your point at why content
creators would be specifically interested.
Like any new technology I think you will have to worry on vendor lock in if you are an early adopter. Once
standards are accepted I think this will put pressure on network vendors to innovate at the device level.
This is my first introduction to OpenFlow technology. This post was a good introduction to the concept but Ill
make sure to follow the link and see what types of problems Google is trying to solve.
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6.
Gino Villarini Wednesday, April 11 2012
Check Nicira and Big Switch Networks
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7.
Dave Mackey Tuesday, April 17 2012
Stacey Thanks for the excellent article. I think this clears up my understanding of the value proposition of
OpenFlow significantly
If I understand correctly, we are separating the physical hardware and the intelligence layers. This means that the
physical network devices can be fairly inexpensive due to lacking the built-in intelligence most high-end switches
currently provide this is replaced by high intelligence at the central controller
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