How does Windows Server 2025 handle software-defined networking (SDN)?

Windows Server 2025 introduces several enhancements and features for Software-Defined Networking (SDN) to improve manageability, security, and scalability. Here are some key aspects of how Windows Server 2025 handles SDN:

• Native SDN Infrastructure: Windows Server 2025 transitions the Network Controller from virtual machines (VMs) to being hosted directly as Failover Cluster services on Windows Server 2025 hosts. This change conserves resources and simplifies deployment and management.
• Hyper-V Network Virtualization (HNV): HNV abstracts applications and workloads from the physical network using virtual networks. This provides multitenant isolation while running on a shared physical network fabric, enhancing resource utilization.
• Network Controller: The Network Controller provides a centralized, programmable point of automation to manage, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot both virtual and physical network infrastructure. It supports automation of network infrastructure configuration, reducing the need for manual configuration.
• Software Load Balancers (SLB/MUX): Windows Server 2025 includes software load balancers that distribute network traffic across multiple servers to ensure high availability and reliability. The upcoming updates will make Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) optional, streamlining the deployment and management process.
• Network Security Groups (NSGs): NSGs offer Azure-consistent network security for Windows Server customers, protecting against both external and lateral threats. Windows Server 2025 introduces new NSG capabilities, including tag-based segmentation for more efficient access control.
• Internal DNS Service (iDNS): iDNS provides DNS name resolution services for hosted virtual machines (VMs) and applications, ensuring seamless communication within networks and with external resources.
• Scalability and Performance: Windows Server 2025 enhances the scalability and performance of SDN by optimizing network resource allocation and improving network throughput. This ensures that SDN infrastructure can handle increased workloads and traffic demands