Systems and Means of Informatics
2019, Volume 29, Issue 2, pp 85-94
A PRACTICAL DEFINITION OF "SOFTWARE-DEFINED"
Abstract
In the new millennium, the "software-defining" concept has entered information technologies, with increasing number of software-defined objects being involved as discussion subjects: networks, storages, servers, and finally entirely software-defined datacenters. However, despite the multiplying subjects and frequent reiteration of the set expression "software-defined, " its real meaning is not so easy to perceive. Moreover, a sufficiently widespread opinion considers the expression rather a marketing trick than a technical term. Actual encyclopedias do not suggest a clear commonly accepted definition of this phenomenon as well. In the article, an attempt is made to uncover the technical essence of "software-defined," and to formulate for it a plain practical definition. Basing on unbiased analysis of peculiarities of datacenter infrastructure components declared as software-defined, a conclusion was drawn that "software-defined" may be regarded as a technical term and provided with a simple definition in conventional generally accepted notions.
[+] References (15)
- Taylor, C. 2017. Software-defined storage: It's real but defining it can be a real trick. Enterprise Storage. Available at: http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/storage- management/software-defined-storage-its-real-but-defining-it-can-be-a-real-trick-1. html (accessed January 10, 2019).
- What does "software defined" actually mean? 2018. TechTarget. Available at: https://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/feature/What-does-software- defined-actually-mean (accessed January 10, 2019).
- The software-defined data center. 2017. VMware. Available at: https://www. vmware.com/ solutions/software-defined-datacenter.html (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Kovar, J. F. 2013. Software-defined data centers: Should you jump on the bandwagon? CRN. Available at: https://www.crn.com/news/data-center/240154576/software- defined-data-centers-should-you-jump-on-the-bandwagon.htm (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Ganzha, D. 2016. Na puti k programmno opredelyaemomu tsentru obrabotki dan- nykh [On the way to a software-defined datacenter]. Zhurnal setevykh resheniy/LAN [Network/LAN Solutions Magazine] 7-8:20-24. Available at: https:// www.osp.ru/lan/2016/07-08/13050118 (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Bradley, T. 2017. Why you should embrace the software-defined data center. Tech- Beacom. Available at: https://techbeacon.com/why-you-should-embrace-software- defned-data-center (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Programmno-opredelyaemyy TsOD segodnya i zavtra [The software-defined datacenter today and tomorrow]. 2015. Infosistemy Dzhet - Jet Infosystems. Available at: https://jet.su/about/news/18464/ (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Egorov, V. B. 2016. Nekotorye voprosy prakticheskoyrealizatsii kontseptsii SDN [Some issues of the SDN concept practical implementation]. Sistemy i Sredstva Informatiki - Systems and Means of Informatics 26(1): 109-120.
- Erl, T. 2005. Service-oriented architecture: Concepts, technology & design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 792 p.
- Egorov, V. B. 2017. Nekotorye neyavnye voprosy setevoy virtualizatsii [Some implicit issues of network virtualization]. Sistemy i Sredstva Informatiki - Systems and Means of Informatics 27(3):88-98.
- Programmnoe khranilishche: tsennost' dlya IT-spetsialista [Software storage: Value for the IT-specialist]. 2015. Otkrytye sistemy [Open systems]. 5 p. Available at: https: //www. osp.ru/netcat_files/1766/ 1964/hJ56c345a97137b2fdfc2b64e85d7897f2 (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Beal, V. SDDC - software-defined data center. Webopedia. Available at: https:// www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/software_defined_data_center_SDDC.html (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Robinson, D. 2018. SDDC is the answer - but how do we get there? Datacenter- dynamics. Available at: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/analysis/sddc-is-the- answer-but-how-do-we-get-there/ (accessed January 10, 2019).
- Vladimirovich, I. 2016. Programmno-opredelyaemyy TsOD. Gramotnyy vybor [Software-defined datacenter. The competent choice]. Connect 10.
- Asprey, D. 2013. Software defined software: The history of "software defined." Trend Micro. Available at: https://blog.trendmicro.com/software-defined-software- the-history-of-software-defned/ (accessed January 10, 2019).
[+] About this article
Title
A PRACTICAL DEFINITION OF "SOFTWARE-DEFINED"
Journal
Systems and Means of Informatics
Volume 29, Issue 2, pp 85-94
Cover Date
2019-05-30
DOI
10.14357/08696527190208
Print ISSN
0869-6527
Publisher
Institute of Informatics Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences
Additional Links
Key words
control automation; infrastructure as a service (IaaS); policy-based; policy-driven; SDDC; SDN; SDS; software-defined
Authors
V. B. Egorov 
Author Affiliations
Institute of Informatics Problems, Federal Research Center "Computer Science and Control", Russian Academy of Sciences, 44-2 Vavilov Str., Moscow 119333, Russian Federation
|