Hybrid Mode For Controlling Packet Forwarding; Overview; Learning More About Hybrid Mode; Viewing And Changing The Hybrid Mode Configuration - HP HPE VAN SDN Controller 2.7 Administrator's Manual

4 Hybrid mode for controlling packet forwarding

Overview

The hybrid mode setting determines which packet-forwarding decisions are made by controlled
OpenFlow switches and which of these decisions are made by the controller itself.
If hybrid mode is enabled (the default setting), the controller delegates normal packet
forwarding to the controlled switches, but overrides these switches for non-standard
packet-forwarding decisions required by installed applications for specific packet types. In
this mode the controller relies on the controlled switches to resolve loops and determine
forwarding paths by using traditional networking mechanisms (such as STP).
If hybrid mode is disabled, the controller makes the forwarding decisions for all packets in
the OpenFlow-controlled network. In this state, the controller resolves network loops and
determines forwarding paths.
Managing hybrid mode includes the following:
"Viewing and changing the hybrid mode configuration" (page 80)
"Coordinating controller hybrid mode and OpenFlow switch settings" (page 82)
In all cases, the controller only monitors or directs packets within OpenFlow instances. The
controller cannot direct or monitor packets outside of OpenFlow instances.
For information on supported network switches, see the HPE VAN SDN Controller and Applications
Support Matrix.

Learning more about hybrid mode

For more on hybrid mode as it relates to OpenFlow, see the latest OpenFlow Switch Specification
on the Open Networking Foundation website.
For a list of Hewlett Packard Enterprise switches that support OpenFlow operation, see the latest
edition of the HPE VAN SDN Controller and Applications Support Matrix.

Viewing and changing the hybrid mode configuration

To view or change the hybrid mode setting:
1. In the Controller UI, from the navigation menu, select Configurations. Then select the Basic
tab.
2. Select the com.hp.sdn.ctl.of.impl.ControllerManager component. Click to show
the configurable keys for this component and view the current value for hybrid.mode.
80 Hybrid mode for controlling packet forwarding