Open-Source Software Defined Networking Controllers:State-of-the-Art,Challenges and Solutions for Future Network Providers

Software Defined Networking(SDN)is programmable by separation of forwarding control through the centralization of the controller.The controller plays the role of the‘brain’that dictates the intelligent part of SDN technology.Various versions of SDN controllers exist as a response to the diverse demands and functions expected of them.There are several SDN controllers available in the open market besides a large number of commercial controllers;some are developed tomeet carrier-grade service levels and one of the recent trends in open-source SDN controllers is the Open Network Operating System(ONOS).This paper presents a comparative study between open source SDN controllers,which are known as Network Controller Platform(NOX),Python-based Network Controller(POX),component-based SDN framework(Ryu),Java-based OpenFlow controller(Floodlight),OpenDayLight(ODL)and ONOS.The discussion is further extended into ONOS architecture,as well as,the evolution of ONOS controllers.This article will review use cases based on ONOS controllers in several application deployments.Moreover,the opportunities and challenges of open source SDN controllers will be discussed,exploring carriergrade ONOS for future real-world deployments,ONOS unique features and identifying the suitable choice of SDN controller for service providers.In addition,we attempt to provide answers to several critical questions relating to the implications of the open-source nature of SDN controllers regarding vendor lock-in,interoperability,and standards compliance,Similarly,real-world use cases of organizations using open-source SDN are highlighted and how the open-source community contributes to the development of SDN controllers.Furthermore,challenges faced by open-source projects,and considerations when choosing an open-source SDN controller are underscored.Then the role of Artificial Intelligence(AI)and Machine Learning(ML)in the evolution of open-source SDN controllers in light of recent research is indicated.In addition,the challenges and limitations associated with deploying open-source SDN controllers in production networks,how can they be mitigated,and finally how opensource SDN controllers handle network security and ensure that network configurations and policies are robust and resilient are presented.Potential opportunities and challenges for future Open SDN deployment are outlined to conclude the article.

DDoS Attack in Software Defined Networks: A Survey

Distributed Denial of Service(DDoS) attacks have been one of the most destructive threats to Internet security. By decoupling the network control and data plane, software defined networking(SDN) offers a flexible network management paradigm to solve DDoS attack in traditional networks. However, the centralized nature of SDN is also a potential vulnerability for DDo S attack. In this paper, we first provide some SDN-supported mechanisms against DDoS attack in traditional networks. A systematic review of various SDN-self DDo S threats are then presented as well as the existing literatures on quickly DDoS detection and defense in SDN. Finally, some promising research directions in this field are introduced.

A Low-Cost Measurement Framework in Software Defined Networks

Software Defined Network (SDN) makes network management more flexible by separating control plane and data plane, centralized control and being programmable. Although, network measurement still remains in primary stage in SDN, it has become an essential research field in SDN management. In this context, this paper presents a low-cost high-accuracy measurement framework to support various network measurement tasks, such as throughput, delay and packet loss rate. In this framework, we only measure per-flow edge switches (the first and the last switches). In addition, a new adaptive sampling algorithm is proposed to significantly improve measurement accuracy and decrease network overhead. Meanwhile, we consider a low-cost topology discovery approach into our framework instead of topology discovery currently implemented by SDN controller frameworks. In order to improve the accuracy of delay, we also join a time threshold value to adjust the time delay. Furthermore, we consider and analyze the balance between measurement overhead and accuracy in several aspects. Last, we utilize POX controller to implement the proposed measurement framework. The effectiveness of our solution is demonstrated through simulations in Mininet and Matlab.

A Survivability Routing Mechanism in SDN Enabled Wireless Mesh Networks:Design and Evaluation

In software-defined networking,the separation of control plane from forwarding plane introduces new challenges to network reliability.This paper proposes a fault-tolerant routing mechanism to improve survivability by converting the survivability problem into two sub-problems:constructing an elastic-aware routing tree and controller selection.Based on the shortest path tree,this scheme continuously attempts to prune the routing tree to enhance network survivability.After a certain number of iterations,elastic-aware routing continues to improve network resiliency by increasing the number of edges in this tree.Simulation results demonstrate this fault-tolerant mechanism performs better than the traditional method in terms of the number of protected nodes and network fragility indicator.

A Dormant Multi-Controller Model for Software Defined Networking

In order to improve the scalability and reliability of Software Defined Networking(SDN),many studies use multiple controllers to constitute logically centralized control plane to provide load balancing and fail over.In this paper,we develop a flexible dormant multi-controller model based on the centralized multi-controller architecture.The dormant multi-controller model allows part of controllers to enter the dormant state under light traffic condition for saving system cost.Meanwhile,through queueing analysis,various performance measures of the system can be obtained.Moreover,we analyze the real traffic of China Education Network and use the results as the parameters of computer simulation and verify the effects of parameters on the system characteristics.Finally,a total expected cost function is established,and genetic algorithm is employed to find the optimal values of various parameters to minimize system cost for the deployment decision making.

A Methodology for Reliability of WSN Based on Software Defined Network in Adaptive Industrial Environment

As communication technology and smart manufacturing have developed, the industrial internet of things(IIo T)has gained considerable attention from academia and industry.Wireless sensor networks(WSNs) have many advantages with broad applications in many areas including environmental monitoring, which makes it a very important part of IIo T. However,energy depletion and hardware malfunctions can lead to node failures in WSNs. The industrial environment can also impact the wireless channel transmission, leading to network reliability problems, even with tightly coupled control and data planes in traditional networks, which obviously also enhances network management cost and complexity. In this paper, we introduce a new software defined network(SDN), and modify this network to propose a framework called the improved software defined wireless sensor network(improved SD-WSN). This proposed framework can address the following issues. 1) For a large scale heterogeneous network, it solves the problem of network management and smooth merging of a WSN into IIo T. 2) The network coverage problem is solved which improves the network reliability. 3) The framework addresses node failure due to various problems, particularly related to energy consumption.Therefore, it is necessary to improve the reliability of wireless sensor networks, by developing certain schemes to reduce energy consumption and the delay time of network nodes under IIo T conditions. Experiments have shown that the improved approach significantly reduces the energy consumption of nodes and the delay time, thus improving the reliability of WSN.

Quantitative Survivability Analysis Using Probability Model Checking: A Study of Cluster-Based Vehicle Networks with Dual Cluster Heads

As an important part of future 5G wireless networks,a vehicular network demands safety,reliability and connectivity.In this context,networking survivability is usually considered an important metric to evaluate network performance.In this paper,we propose a survivability model for vehicle communication networking based on dual cluster heads,wherein a backup cluster head(CH)will be activated if the primary CH fails,thereby effectively enhancing the network lifetime.Additionally,we introduce a software rejuvenation strategy for the prime CH to further improve the survivability of the entire network.Using the Probabilistic Symbolic Model Checker(PRISM),we verify and discuss the proposed survivability model via numerical simulations.The results show that network survivability can be effectively improved by introducing an additional CH and further enhanced by adopting the software rejuvenation technique.

Autonomic QoS Management Mechanism in Software Defined Network

With the increase of network complexity,the flexibility of network control and management becomes a nontrivial problem.Both Software Defined Network(SDN) and Autonomic Network technologies are sophisticated technologies for the network control and management.These two technologies could be combined together to construct a software defined self-managing solution for the future network.An autonomic QoS management mechanism in Software Defined Network(AQSDN) is proposed in this paper.In AQSDN,the various QoS features can be configured autonomically in an OpenFlow switch through extending the OpenFlow and OF-Config protocols.Based on AQSDN,a novel packet context-aware QoS model(PCaQoS) is also introduced for improving the network QoS.PCaQoS takes packet context into account when packet is marked and managed into forwarding queues.The implementation of a video application's prototype which evaluates the self-configuration feature of the AQSDN and the enhancement ability of the PCaQoS is presented in order to validate this design.

ForSA — A New Software Defined Network Architecture Based on ForCES

In recent years, SDN(Software Defined Network) as a new network architecture has become the hot research point. Meanwhile,the well-known Open Flow-based SDN got a lot of attention. But it can't provide a flexible and effective network resource description method.As an open programmable technology, For CES(Forwarding and Control Element Separation)has also been concerned. However, For CES is confined within a single network node and cannot be applied to the entire network. This paper proposes a new architecture — ForS A(ForC ESbased SDN architecture). The architecture is added a configuration layer based on the traditional SDN architecture, which solves the problem that the northbound interface is not clear between the application layer and the control layer in the SDN architecture. ForS A also implements the compatibility within various forwarding devices in the forwarding layer.

Dynamic Routing Optimization Algorithm for Software Defined Networking

Time and space complexity is themost critical problemof the current routing optimization algorithms for Software Defined Networking(SDN).To overcome this complexity,researchers use meta-heuristic techniques inside the routing optimization algorithms in the OpenFlow(OF)based large scale SDNs.This paper proposes a hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm to optimize the dynamic routing problem for the large scale SDNs.Due to the dynamic nature of SDNs,the proposed algorithm uses amutation operator to overcome the memory-based problem of the ant colony algorithm.Besides,it uses the box-covering method and the k-means clustering method to divide the SDN network to overcome the problemof time and space complexity.The results of the proposed algorithm compared with the results of other similar algorithms and it shows that the proposed algorithm can handle the dynamic network changing,reduce the network congestion,the delay and running times and the packet loss rates.

Threshold-Based Software-Defined Networking(SDN)Solution for Healthcare Systems against Intrusion Attacks

The healthcare sector holds valuable and sensitive data.The amount of this data and the need to handle,exchange,and protect it,has been increasing at a fast pace.Due to their nature,software-defined networks(SDNs)are widely used in healthcare systems,as they ensure effective resource utilization,safety,great network management,and monitoring.In this sector,due to the value of thedata,SDNs faceamajor challengeposed byawide range of attacks,such as distributed denial of service(DDoS)and probe attacks.These attacks reduce network performance,causing the degradation of different key performance indicators(KPIs)or,in the worst cases,a network failure which can threaten human lives.This can be significant,especially with the current expansion of portable healthcare that supports mobile and wireless devices for what is called mobile health,or m-health.In this study,we examine the effectiveness of using SDNs for defense against DDoS,as well as their effects on different network KPIs under various scenarios.We propose a threshold-based DDoS classifier(TBDC)technique to classify DDoS attacks in healthcare SDNs,aiming to block traffic considered a hazard in the form of a DDoS attack.We then evaluate the accuracy and performance of the proposed TBDC approach.Our technique shows outstanding performance,increasing the mean throughput by 190.3%,reducing the mean delay by 95%,and reducing packet loss by 99.7%relative to normal,with DDoS attack traffic.

The Impact of Delay in Software-Defined Integrated Terrestrial-Satellite Networks

Satellite communication networks have been evolving from standalone networks with ad-hoc infrastructures to possibly interconnected portions of a wider Future Internet architecture. Experts belonging to the fifth-generation(5 G) standardization committees are considering satellites as a technology to integrate in the 5 G environment. Software Defined Networking(SDN) is one of the paradigms of the next generation of mobile and fixed communications. It can be employed to perform different control functionalities, such as routing, because it allows traffic flow identification based on different parameters and traffic flow management in a centralized way. A centralized set of controllers makes the decisions and sends the corresponding forwarding rules for each traffic flow to the involved intermediate nodes that practically forward data up to the destination. The time to perform this process in integrated terrestrial-satellite networks could be not negligible due to satellite link delays. The aim of this paper is to introduce an SDN-based terrestrial satellite network architecture and to estimate the mean time to deliver the data of a new traffic flow from the source to the destination including the time required to transfer SDN control actions. The practical effect is to identify the maximum performance than can be expected.

Software defined satellite networks:A survey

In recent years,satellite networks have been proposed as an essential part of next-generation mobile communication systems.Software defined networking techniques are introduced in satellite networks to handle the growing challenges induced by time-varying topology,intermittent inter-satellite link and dramatically increased satellite constellation size.This survey covers the latest progress of software defined satellite networks,including key techniques,existing solutions,challenges,opportunities,and simulation tools.To the best of our knowledge,this paper is the most comprehensive survey that covers the latest progress of software defined satellite networks.An open GitHub repository is further created where the latest papers on this topic will be tracked and updated periodically.Compared with these existing surveys,this survey contributes from three aspects:(1)an up-to-date SDN-oriented review for the latest progress of key techniques and solutions in software defined satellite networks;(2)an inspiring summary of existing challenges,new research opportunities and publicly available simulation tools for follow-up studies;(3)an effort of building a public repository to track new results.

Service Function Chain in Small Satellite-Based Software Defined Satellite Networks

Software Defined Satellite Networks(SDSN) are proposed to solve the problems in traditional satellite networks, such as time-consuming configuration and inflexible traffic scheduling. The emerging application of small satellite and research of SDSN make it possible for satellite networks to provide flexible network services. Service Function Chain(SFC) can satisfy this need. In this paper, we are motivated to investigate applying SFC in the small satellite-based SDSN for service delivery. We introduce the structure of the multi-layer constellation-based SDSN. Then, we describe two deployment patterns of SFC in SDSN, the Multi-Domain(MD) pattern and the Satellite Formation(SF) pattern. We propose two algorithms, SFP-MD, and SFP-SF, to calculate the Service Function Path(SFP). We implement the algorithms and conduct contrast experiments in our prototype. Finally, we summarize the applicable conditions of two deployment patterns according to the experimental results in terms of hops, delay, and packet loss rate.

Software Defined Optical Networks and Its Innovation Environment

Software defined optical networks （SDONs） integrate software defined technology with optical communication networks and represent the promising development trend of future optical networks. The key technologies for SDONs include software-defined optical transmission, switching, and networking. The main features include control and transport separation, hard-ware universalization, protocol standardization, controllable optical network, and flexible optical network applications. This paper introduces software defined optical networks and its innovation environment, in terms of network architecture, protocol extension solution, experiment platform and typical applications. Batch testing has been conducted to evaluate the performance of this SDON testbed. The results show that the SDON testbed has good scalability in different sizes. Meanwhile, we notice that controller output bandwidth has great influence on lightpath setup delay.

Naive Echo-State-Network Based Services Awareness Algorithm of Software Defined Optical Networks

As internet services newly emerge with diversity and complexity, great challenges and demands are presented to the Open Flow controlled software defined optical networks(SDON) to achieve better match between services and SDON. With this aim, this paper proposes a naive Echo-State-Network(Naive-ESN) based services awareness algorithm of the software defined optical network, where the naive ESN model adopts the ring topology structure and generates the probability output result to determine the Qo S policy of SDON. Moreover, the Naive-ESN engine is also designed in controller node of SDON to perform services awareness by obtaining service traffic features from data plan, together with some necessary extension of the Open Flow protocol. Test results show that the proposed approach is able to improved services-oriented supporting ability of SDON.

Orchestrating Network Functions in Software-Defined Networks

Software.defined networking(SDN) enables third.part companies to participate in the network function innovations. A number of instances for one network function will inevitably co.exist in the network. Although some orchestration architecture has been proposed to chain network functions, rare works are focused on how to optimize this process. In this paper, we propose an optimized model for network function orchestration, function combination model(FCM). Our main contributions are as following. First, network functions are featured with a new abstraction, and are open to external providers. And FCM identifies network functions using unique type, and organizes their instances distributed over the network with the appropriate way. Second, with the specialized demands, we can combine function instances under the global network views, and formulate it into the problem of Boolean linear program(BLP). A simulated annealing algorithm is designed to approach optimal solution for this BLP. Finally, the numerical experiment demonstrates that our model can create outstanding composite schemas efficiently.

Joint Resource Allocation and Admission Control Mechanism in Software Defined Mobile Networks

This paper presented a joint resource allocation(RA) and admission control(AC) mechanism in software defined mobile networks(SDMNs). In this mechanism, the joint RA and AC problem can be formulated as an optimization problem with the aim of maximizing the number of admitted users while simultaneously minimizing the number of allocated channels. Since the primal problem is modeled to be a mixed integer nonlinear problem(MINLP), we attain the suboptimal solutions to the primal MINLP by convex relaxation. Additionally, with the global information collected by the SDMNs controller, a centralized joint RA and AC(CJRA)algorithm is proposed by the Lagrange dual decomposition technique to obtain the global optimum. Meanwhile, we propose an OpenFlow rules placement strategy to realize CJRA in an efficient way. Moreover, a distributed algorithm is also developed to find the local optimum, showing a performance benchmark for the centralized one. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed centralized algorithm admits more users compared with the distributed.

BotGuard： Lightweight Real-Time Botnet Detection in Software Defined Networks

The distributed detection of botnets may induce heavy computation and communication costs to network devices. Each device in related scheme only has a regional view of Internet, so it is hard to detect botnet comprehensively. In this paper, we propose a lightweight real-time botnet detection framework called Bot-Guard, which uses the global landscape and flexible configurability of software defined network （SDN） to identify botnets promptly. SDN, as a new network framework, can make centralized control in botnet detection, but there are still some challenges in such detections. We give a convex lens imaging graph （CLI-graph） to depict the topology characteristics of botnet, which allows SDN controller to locate attacks separately and mitigate the burden of network devices. The theoretical and experimental resuits prove that our scheme is capable of timely botnet detecting in SDNs with the accuracy higher than 90% and the delay less than 56 ms.

Joint Content Placement and Traffic Management for Cloud Mobile Video Distribution over Software-Defined Networks

To cope with the rapid growth of mobile video, video providers have leveraged cloud technologies to deploy their mobile video service system for more cost-effective and scalable performance. The emergence of Software-Defined Networking(SDN) provides a promising solution to manage the underlying network. In this paper, we introduce an SDN-enabled cloud mobile video distribution architecture and propose a joint video placement, request dispatching and traffic management mechanism to improve user experience and reduce the system operational cost. We use a utility function to capture the two aspects of user experience: the level of satisfaction and average latency, and formulate the joint optimization problem as a mixed integer programming problem. We develop an optimal algorithm based on dual decomposition and prove its optimality. We conduct simulations to evaluate the performance of our algorithm and the results show that our strategy can effectively cut down the total cost and guarantee user experience.