Abstract

Most computer networks still have the traditional, three-layer, hierarchically organized architecture. Their extremely heterogeneous infrastructure consists of multivendor devices, and networking is often challenging. Deficiency of interoperability in most cases burdens their work. The reason is many proprietary protocols and their slow standardization process. It indicates the complexity of the network management process. We must note that in a traditional network, the management process takes place within the same physical device as the packet forwarding. It can cause potential issues such as resource contention (both packet forwarding and management tasks compete for resources like CPU, memory, and network interfaces), complexity in maintenance, security risks, scalability challenges, and isolation of control (separating management from packet forwarding). Numerous functionalities defined in hardware make responding to increasingly multiple and complex user requests more difficult. The lack of flexibility in traditional networks affects the high cost of implementing new services because it is necessary to allocate additional resources, and maintaining the computer infrastructure becomes more complex. Modern societal trends, such as demographic trends, globalization, and lifestyle changes, stimulated by the rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), represent the basic triggers for numerous network design changes. These changes are visible in the emergence of new traffic types, such asM2M(Machine-to-Machine) communication, requirements to build smart environments based on IoT (Internet of Things) technology, and significant traffic volume increases in the network.