Network element and a controller for managing the network element

A controller for configuring network elements of a software-defined network, the controller comprising:

• a data transfer interface for transmitting data to the software-defined network and for receiving data from the software-defined network, and
• a processing system for determining configuration data enabling the network elements to operate as parts of the software-defined network,
• wherein the processing system is adapted to deliver the configuration data to be written to a database accessible to the network elements to be configured.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising computer executable instructions for controlling a programmable processing system of a network element of a software-defined network to:

• control a data transfer interface of the network element to transmit a query to a part of the software-defined network maintaining a database accessible to many network elements of the software defined network and storing configuration data related to the network elements of the software defined network, the query specifying a part of the configuration data and requesting to send, to the network element, configuration information expressing the specified part of the configuration data, and
• implement, in response to receiving the configuration information, the received configuration information at least partly into a configuration system enabling the network element to operate as a part of the software-defined network.