Explanation/Reference:
* Northbound API - Relative to figure 1 below, the Northbound API is the API that enables communications between the control layer and the application layer (external business applications.
Southbound API
- Relative to Figure 1 below, the Southbound API is the API that enables communications between the control layer and the infrastructure layer (OpenFlow).
Figure 1. ONF's SDN architecture

* Putting the region configurations in place in a controller team ensures seamless failover and failback among the configured controllers for the specified network devices in a region. That is, when a master controller experiences a fault, the Role Orchestration Service ensures that a slave controller immediately assumes the master role over the group of network devices to which the failed controller was in the master role.
Reference: Technical white paper, Mock RFI for Enterprise SDN Solutions Reference: HP VAN SDN Controller Administrator Guide