How Kubernetes Aligns with Cisco’s Intent Based Networking

Enterprise Networking Planet content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

A core focus for Cisco’s networking business in 2018 is the company’s intent-based networking. And on the cloud side, Cisco is strongly invested in Kubernetes. Where do the two intersect?

In a video interview, Lew Tucker, vice president and CTO of Cisco Cloud, discussed how networking works in Kubernetes and why it’s aligned well with Cisco’s overall efforts.

At the core of Kubernetes networking is the Container Networking Interface (CNI), which provides an abstraction layer for network plugins. Tucker and Cisco were also instrumental in the original OpenStack networking effort known as Quantum, which took a bit of a different path.

Tucker said that originally OpenStack Quantum, which was re-named Neutron, was an effort to define a network service. Then as part of the service, OpenStack developers worked to add network plugins.

Intent-Based Networking

Cisco first announced its intent-based networking strategy in June 2017 and has expanded it with assurance and IoT capabilities in the months since.

“Intent-based networking is really a big step from traditional networking, where you log in and configure individual switches and configuration is supposed to match some goal,” Tucker said. “When you reverse that, you become explicit, and say here is what I want to achieve. and let automation make it so.”

“Kubernetes is starting right from that premise,” Tucker added. “It has always been about, here is the model I want to see in the world, and then the Kubernetes engine makes that so.”

In Tucker’s view, the Kubernetes model is going to fit very well with Cisco’s intent-based networking model as well.

Watch the full video interview with Lew Tucker below.

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends, and analysis.

Latest Articles

Follow Us On Social Media

Explore More