OpenFlow data planes performance evaluation

Abstract

Software-Defined Networks, in its essence, are the separation of the data and control planes of switching devices. The OpenFlow (OF) protocol is the most popular SDN protocol today, being available in many switches. This is due to the low implementation cost as well as the potential for innovative solutions in the network. Although OF is being used in many research papers and production networks, as far as we know, no work on the literature performs an extensive evaluation of the OpenFlow data planes. This evaluation helps network administrators choose which switch to use in their networks. Meanwhile, researchers are made aware of the limitations of existing OF switches. This article evaluates the performance and maturity of OF 1.0 on eleven hardware and software switches using POX, and also of the newer OF 1.3 on five switches using the ONOS controller. Our findings indicate that the performance variations among OF switches are significant. Packet delays vary by one order of magnitude in the evaluated equipment. Meanwhile, there is no performance impact when changing the packet size. Hence, the results highlight that researchers must be aware of issues such as variable jitter, the number of matches in tables as well as missing OF match fields.