Which technology enables network management functions to be controlled by software by abstracting the control and management planes?

The technology that allows network management functions to be controlled by software through the abstraction of the control and management planes is Software-Defined Networking (SDN).

SDN separates the data plane, which handles the actual forwarding of traffic, from the control plane, which makes decisions about how traffic should flow within the network. This separation enables a centralized software-based controller to manage network resources more efficiently and dynamically. By implementing SDN, network administrators can configure, manage, secure, and optimize network resources through software applications rather than relying on hardware configurations. This leads to more agile, flexible, and programmable networks, allowing for automated provisioning and simplifying network management tasks.

In contrast, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) focuses on the virtualization of network services and functions, enabling them to run in a virtualized environment rather than on proprietary hardware, but it does not primarily address the control plane's abstraction. Cloud Networking refers to providing networking services and connectivity through cloud computing resources, which involves utilizing cloud infrastructure rather than focusing on the management and control aspects. Decentralized Networking emphasizes peer-to-peer communication without centralized control, which does not fit the concept of managing network functions through a centralized, software-defined approach.