A network administrator is evaluating the operational differences when transitioning an enterprise campus network from traditional distributed networking to a centralized controller-based architecture. Which operational feature uniquely distinguishes the controller-based architecture from the traditional network model during configuration and policy deployment?
- Network policies and configurations are centrally orchestrated at the controller layer and programmatically applied to network devices using Southbound APIs.Answer
- BControl plane routing decisions are offloaded to AAA servers, which generate per-packet forwarding instructions using encrypted RADIUS protocols.
- CIndividual network switches independently pull configuration changes by making HTTP GET requests directly to Northbound REST APIs on downstream endpoints.
- DDevice configurations must still be individually configured via local command-line interfaces (CLI), while the centralized controller acts strictly as a passive log server.
Answer
Network policies and configurations are centrally orchestrated at the controller layer and programmatically applied to network devices using Southbound APIs.
In controller-based networking architectures, management and control intelligence are centralized. Network administrators specify high-level policies at the controller, which then automatically provisions and manages network devices using Southbound APIs (such as NETCONF, RESTCONF, or OpenFlow). This eliminates the need for manual, device-by-device CLI configurations typical of traditional networks.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Traditional vs. Controller-Based Network Architecture and Interface Roles