Intent-based
networking (IBN) is a network administration model that uses artificial
intelligence (AI), network orchestration and machine learning (ML) to automate
administrative tasks across a network.
The
goal of IBN is to reduce the complexity of creating, managing and enforcing
network policies and decrease the manual labor associated with traditional
configuration management. For example, an IBN command may look like this:
The
IBN management application will then determine which devices and routes match
the business intention and make the appropriate configuration changes
automatically.
Intent-based
networking and software-defined networking are similar in many aspects. Both
approaches rely on a centralized controller to manage distributed devices on the
network instead of individually managing each device from its own management
console. Both approaches have the ability to understand network configuration
and interaction across multiple devices.
Where
the two approaches differ, however, is in how they are addressed at the
administrator level. SDN continues to have a device-centric view of the network
and commands are primarily about how devices should operate, but intent-based
networking commands are issued from a business perspective. This second-level
abstraction is the primary difference when it comes to intent-based networking
vs. SDN.
Comments
Post a Comment