README.md

# Project Description

The project Beachhead has the goal to design, implement, and test a minimalist 
network controller that is able to provision, to manange and to control networks
based on Ethernet, Internet Protocol and optical WAN. 

We use the term network controller, as the outcome does not have to be a SDN
controller per se. Such a network controller may be used in settings where there
is no SDN protocol used, but just other tools to handle networks. For instance,
it may be completely possible to run a network solely with some traffic
sniffing, a database to keep track of hosts etc, and an ssh interface to some
network elements to get things handled. 

NB: The term "handled" is used to convey the meaning of provisioning, managing,
and controlling networks and network elements. 

## Why is it Project Beachhead

There is already a number of different network controllers, some of them 
labelled Software Defined Network (SDN) or Intent Based Networking (IBN), that
are being developed and potentially used in production environments. However, 
in "our" experience such controllers are either outdated, as they are not
maintained anymore, or overly complex in maintaining and operating. 

Nonetheless, the impression in the telecommunications market, at least in
Germany, is that the SDN approach has been filled with "life" by the existing 
SDN controller implementations. Thus not leaving space for other alternative
SDN or in general network controllers. The beaches are full. 

This project has the intent to create a new network controller and bringing it
to the shores of network (AKA the beaches). Thus the intention is to create a 
Beachhead.