software-defined networking
nounA way of running a computer network where software tells the machines how to share and send information.
The school upgraded to software-defined networking so the IT team could manage all the classroom computers from one screen.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A network design where the control decisions are separated from the hardware that forwards the data.
In software-defined networking, the controller decides the routes while the switches simply move packets.
3. An approach that lets administrators configure network behavior through software instead of touching each device.
With software-defined networking, she changed the whole office network's rules from her laptop.
4. A technology used in modern data centers to make networks flexible and easy to automate.
The company's data center relies on software-defined networking to spin up new services quickly.