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8. Management, Control and Data Plane

Learner Objectives

  • Identify the different layers of networking planes
  • List the functions of each networking plane

Networking Planes

Networks use the data forwarding process to carry user traffic from one device to another device. Networks include three layers or planes: management plane, control plane, and data plane.

Consider this analogy to understand the networking planes.

To travel between two cities that you have never visited:

  • You open the navigation application on your smartphone and enter the name of the origin and destination cities.
  • The application considers the current traffic and other criteria, such as tolls, and performs calculations to determine the best route between the two cities.
  • After determining the route, you use your car to reach the destination.

In the analogy, your smartphone and the user interface of the navigation application are components in the management plane. The algorithm that calculates the best route between the two cities is a component in the control plane. Your car, which transports you to the destination, is a component in the data plane.

Management, Control, and Data Planes

All networking devices operate in the management, control, and data planes. These planes coordinate with each other to identify the best possible path between devices.

Management Plane

Control Plane

The control plane can be considered the brain of a network.

The control plane performs the following functions:

  • The control plane calculates and determines the best path for a packet to navigate from one device to another device. After determining the best path, the control plane propagates this information to the data plane.
  • The routing protocols, such as BGP, OSPF, RIP, primarily operate in this layer.
BGP

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is a dynamic routing protocol used to route traffic across the Internet.

OSPF

Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a nonproprietary link-state routing protocol typically used in the data center.

RIP

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is one of the oldest distance-vector routing protocols, which employs the hop count as a routing metric.

Data Plane

The data plane, also called the forwarding plane, can be considered the muscle of the network.

The data plane performs the following functions:

  • The data plane forwards the user traffic between the networking devices, such as switches or routers.
  • The data plane performs the fundamental function of a network, which is carrying the user traffic from one device to another device.

The control and management planes help the data plane to perform effective data forwarding.