If it is not in the software definition network (SDN) dialogue, we can hardly compare the software and the network. However, the role of network switch software in the data center network is not much related to SDN.

For a long time, the most important thing to buy a network switch is the data in the spec sheet. Even in the commercial chip age, hardware is still important. But as the way businesses use the network to continue to change, the data center of the underlying operating system features and functions become equally important.