Modern Networking - Last Minute Revision Notes (MSc IT)
✅ Important Concepts to Revise
1. SDN (Software Defined Networking) - Definition: Separation of control plane and data plane. -
Components: SDN Controller, OpenFlow Protocol, SDN Applications - Diagram: App Plane ↔ Control Plane
↔ Data Plane
2. NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) - Virtualizes functions like routers/firewalls on commodity
hardware - Key Layers: VNF, NFVI, MANO
3. Cloud Computing - Service Models: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS - Deployment Models: Public, Private, Hybrid -
Benefits: Scalability, cost-effectiveness, disaster recovery
4. IoT (Internet of Things) - Layers: Perception, Network, Middleware, Application - Applications: Smart
home, healthcare, industry - Protocols: MQTT, CoAP, Zigbee, 6LoWPAN
5. Quality of Service (QoS) & Quality of Experience (QoE) - QoS Metrics: Latency, jitter, bandwidth, packet
loss - QoE Factors: Application performance, device capability, user perception - Mechanisms: RSVP, DiffServ,
Traffic Shaping, Policing
6. Routing & BGP - BGP: Inter-domain routing, policy-based path selection - Interior Protocols: RIP, OSPF,
EIGRP - Routing characteristics: Scalability, convergence, policy control
7. OpenFlow and Flow Tables - Match → Action → Counter model - Port types: Physical, Logical, Reserved
8. REST API & OpenDaylight - REST Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE - OpenDaylight: SDN controller
platform, uses OSGi framework
✅ High Priority Questions with Answers
Q1. Define SDN and explain its architecture. - SDN decouples control and data planes - Central controller
manages forwarding rules via OpenFlow - Architecture includes: Application Layer, Control Layer,
Infrastructure Layer
Q2. What is NFV and how is it different from SDN? - NFV: Virtualizes network functions - SDN: Separates
control/forwarding logic - NFV works on service virtualization, SDN on control abstraction
Q3. Explain Cloud Deployment Models. - Public Cloud: Shared infrastructure (AWS) - Private Cloud:
Exclusive to one org - Hybrid Cloud: Combines both - Community Cloud: Shared by orgs with common
concerns
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Q4. Describe ITU-T QoS Architecture. - Layers: Application, Transport, Network - Defines performance
guarantees using models like DiffServ and RSVP
Q5. What are the characteristics and layers of IoT? - Characteristics: Interconnectivity, scalability,
dynamic nature - Layers: Perception → Network → Middleware → Application
Q6. Difference between QoS and QoE. - QoS: Technical metrics - QoE: User satisfaction - QoS impacts QoE
but QoE includes subjective factors
Q7. Explain Flow Table in OpenFlow. - Contains match fields, counters, and actions - Directs packet
processing in data plane
Q8. What is BGP and its role in QoS? - BGP manages routing between autonomous systems - Can use
FlowSpec to enforce QoS policies across networks
Q9. List and explain REST constraints. - Stateless, Client-server, Cacheable, Uniform Interface, Layered
System, Code on Demand (optional)
Q10. Compare L2 vs L3 Virtual Networks. - L2: Uses MAC, VLANs - L3: Uses IP, supports routing between
networks
✨ Final Tips
• Focus on architectures and diagrams: SDN, NFV, Cloud
• Revise QoS/QoE metrics and related protocols (RSVP, DiffServ)
• Understand use cases and real-world applications
• Practice short notes on OpenFlow, VLAN, REST, BGP, Fog computing
✅ You're now ready to revise efficiently!
