Thanks for an interesting write up! Since Cisco has been one of the proponents for the development of OpenFlow, do I take it that you see a promising future of OpenFlow implementation in SP environments, please? Background of OpenFlow is ability to be implementable on COTS hardware, make deployed networks configurable and also programmable and offer increased control of custom forwarding of packets. All these do point to increased adaptation of API's, as I think is indicated above. OpenFlow has been adapted in most network gears and also in Stanford U.'s own network and GENI project and there has been some talk of adaptation of the same in MPLS based network with split-router model.

Irrespective of which models are championed by respective vendors, do you envisage effective and widespread SP adaptation of OpenFlow in WAN in near future please? This keeping in mind the issues OpenFlow currently has with GMPLS (control plane complexity, fragile distribution routing and signaling protocols etc.).

Thanks a lot!

Best regards

santanu