OpenFlow architecture

OpenFlow can be configured to separate non-OpenFlow traffic from OpenFlow traffic. An OpenFlow instance can either be in the Virtualization or Aggregation Mode.

The communication channel between the OpenFlow Controller and the OpenFlow switch traverses the control-plane to communicate data and rules about how OpenFlow instances should operate. The OpenFlow instances/VLANs are the data-plane, which is where the OpenFlow rules are applied. Administrators must ensure that control-plane traffic does not traverse the data-plane, to avoid data-plane outages or other issues.