The growing demand for high data rates and the increasing popularity and capillary of high-speed access, both wired and for mobile use, have made it clear that a robust and reliable core data network is essential. The improvement of the network performances can be obtained in several ways; however, a crucial aspect is defining an open way of controlling all network devices, exploiting multi-vendor setups in an innovative and efficient way. This is a first step towards the realization of a digital twin, or a software representation of a real network, which can be used to make simulations and to plan improvements.