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Difficulty: MediumSeparation of Control Plane and Data Plane

Match each network operation or component to its correct functional plane or architectural interface.

  • Exchanging BGP routing updates and building the Routing Information Base (RIB)Distributed Control Plane
  • Performing Layer 3 destination IP lookups in TCAM for line-rate packet forwardingData Plane (Forwarding Plane)
  • Establishing an encrypted SSH session to configure device hostnames and interfacesManagement Plane
  • Centralized controller pushing network flow policies down to switches using OpenFlowSouthbound API / Centralized Control Plane

Answer

Exchanging BGP updates and building the RIB matches Distributed Control Plane. Performing Layer 3 IP lookups in TCAM matches Data Plane. Establishing an encrypted SSH session for device configuration matches Management Plane. Pushing flow policies down via OpenFlow matches Southbound API / Centralized Control Plane.
The pairings correctly delineate network plane boundaries: dynamic routing intelligence operates in the distributed control plane, hardware-based packet forwarding resides in the data plane, administrative device access belongs to the management plane, and controller-driven flow programming utilizes Southbound APIs from the centralized control plane.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the functional role of dynamic routing protocols like BGP.
Determined that building routing tables (RIB) and maintaining neighbor adjacencies requires control plane intelligence.
The control plane makes routing decisions and constructs the logical topology before programming hardware tables.
2
Analyze high-speed packet lookup mechanisms using TCAM.
Mapped TCAM IP lookups to the Data Plane.
The data plane uses specialized hardware (ASICs and TCAM/FIB tables) to forward transit traffic without CPU intervention.
3
Determine the operational classification of administrative SSH configuration access.
Mapped interactive CLI configuration via SSH to the Management Plane.
Protocols used for administration, monitoring, and direct management (SSH, SNMP, HTTPS) operate in the management plane.
4
Categorize controller-to-device communication mechanisms in SDN architectures.
Mapped OpenFlow policy provisioning from a centralized controller to Southbound API / Centralized Control Plane.
Southbound APIs sit between the centralized SDN control plane and the underlying physical or virtual data plane devices.

Key Concept

Distinguishing functional plane boundaries (Control, Data, Management) and SDN architecture interfaces
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Topics

Separation of Control Plane and Data Plane

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