Software Defined Networking Principles Research Articles

Photonic device programmability in support of autonomous optical networks

The emergence and consolidation of increasingly programmable optical devices such as transceivers, amplifiers, multiplexers, or ROADMs—which allow their remote configuration and control by adopting software-defined networking principles such as model-driven development—is enabling the evolution toward gradually more autonomous networks. Such networks leverage device programmability and are able to adapt and react to traffic and network condition changes, e.g., changing modes of operation or reconfiguring the network state, paving the way for the increased adoption of AI/ML models in support of enhanced network operation. In this paper, after a short review of some key elements in the control and orchestration systems of optical networks in support of autonomous networking, we present in detail a proof-of-concept validation of autonomous, closed-loop dynamic adaptation of transceiver operational modes. This includes (i) the design and development of an SDN agent of a multi-band sliceable bandwidth variable transceiver, based on extended OpenConfig terminal device data models; (ii) an SDN controller that performs discovery and management of transceivers’ operational modes and maps to transport API (TAPI) profiles enabling efficient physical layer impairment-aware path computation; (iii) a dedicated externalized path computation element/digital twin that performs adaptation recommendations; and (iv) an MQTT-based telemetry platform for publisher/subscriber based state synchronization between the control plane functional entities to avoid systematic polling.

SDN Integration with Firewalls and Enhancing Security Monitoring on Firewalls

Software-defined Networking (SDN) has revolutionized the way networks are managed and operated by decoupling the control plane from the data plane. This separation allows for centralized control and programmability, offering greater flexibility, scalability, and agility in network management.Firewalls, renowned for their robust security features, play a critical role in protecting network traffic. Integrating SDN principles and technologies with Firewalls presents an opportunity to enhance their management, scalability, and orchestration capabilities. This paper explores the integration of SDN with Firewalls, focusing on leveraging SDN controllers and software defined networking architectures to augment the underlying BSD-based operating system. By integrating SDN controllers, organizations can centrally manage firewall policies, dynamically enforce security rules, and gain real-time visibility into network traffic. Furthermore, SDN enables efficient scalability of Firewalls by dynamically allocating resources and load balancing traffic. This paper also explores methods to enhance security monitoring and analytics on Firewalls. It focuses on leveraging advanced techniques, technologies, and integration approaches to optimize security monitoring and strengthen the firewall’s ability to detect and respond to security threats. Security monitoring and analytics are crucial components of modern network infrastructure to detect and mitigate potential threats. Firewalls, known for their robust security features, serve as critical gateways for network traffic. Enhancing security monitoring and analytics capabilities on Firewalls can significantly improve threat detection, incident response, and overall network security posture. Index Terms—Firewalls , Software Defined Networking(SDN) , Enhancing

Development a Software Defined Network (SDN) with Internet of Things (IoT) Security for Medical Issues

Because providing billions of objects with network connectivity, the Internet of Things (IoT) enables the collection and transfer of real-time data for intelligent applications. Therefore, IoT enables remote access and control of connected devices when there is a sufficient network infrastructure. Additionally, the introduction of software-defined networking (SDN) presents capabilities that allow internet providers and users to control and connect network equipment wirelessly, even as enabling a global perspective on the network, that has previously become a soaring interest area due to its extensive use for various applications and systems, including wireless sensor nodes, medical equipment, delicate home sensor systems, and some other connected IoT devices. In order to create worldwide connectivity between the Internet of Things (IoT) and based on the SDN architecture in the medical contexts, this paper's contribution is to outline some relevant directions. Additionally, we provide a model based on software defined network principles that depicts interactions between a group of people each of whom have a Nano network within their bodies and the medical services via the local network of a medical institution. For everybody electrical engineers to data engineers the requirement to integrate everything in a global setting is a significant problem. As a result, the cloud is useful for handling the instantaneous sharing of information. In terms of health care, the effort is also stated in terms of IoT architecture and services. IoT's current prospects for the healthcare sector are quite promising. Due to its capacity for sensing and measuring, it is also highly well-liked. From the smallest sensor to the massive amounts of data gathered, this revolution is completely changing how we view healthcare.

Enabling Efficient IoT Device Connectivity and Dynamic Network Management through SDN: A Weighted Sum Method Approach

SDN-Enabled IoT Networks bring about a transformative shift in conventional network models by integrating the core principles of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) into the realm of the Internet of Things (IoT). This integration empowers the agile and effective management of IoT devices, facilitating smooth connectivity, optimized distribution of resources, and flexible network setups. Through the consolidation of control and the utilization of virtualization methods, SDN-Enabled IoT Networks amplify scalability, security, and real-time responsiveness. This addresses the obstacles presented by the extensive proliferation of IoT devices. This paradigm transition heralds a fresh era of interconnectedness, where SDN assumes a central role in harmonizing the intricate interplay of IoT devices and services. The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has introduced unparalleled complexities in overseeing networks and establishing connections. This compels the need for inventive strategies to effectively manage the substantial surge of IoT devices and their ever-changing connectivity prerequisites. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) emerges as a promising approach to tackle these issues by enabling the flexible management of networks and allocation of resources. This study investigates the amalgamation of SDN within the realm of IoT, aiming to streamline device connections, optimize data transmission efficiency, and accommodate adaptable network setups. Introducing an innovative weighted sum technique for resource allocation optimization, this work lays the foundation for a comprehensive framework that bolsters IoT network performance and expandability. Four different SDN implementations are examined, including the Conventional IoT Network, SDN-enabled IoT utilizing Centralized Control, SDN-enabled IoT employing Distributed Control, SDN-enabled IoT with Hierarchical Control, and SDN-enabled IoT utilizing Hybrid Control. The assessment considers various aspects such as Enhanced Scalability, Enhanced Traffic Engineering, Heightened Security, Implementation Complexity, Difficulty of Migration, and Reliance on Vendors. The Conventional IoT Network secures a moderate 3rd position with a Preference Score of 0.56030, while the SDN-enabled IoT with Centralized Control holds the 5th rank at 0.49732, despite excelling in specific domains. The SDN-enabled IoT with Distributed Control achieves the top rank with a notable Preference Score of 0.79414 due to comprehensive performance, followed by the SDN-enabled IoT with Hierarchical Control securing the 2nd spot (Preference Score: 0.57022), and the SDN-enabled IoT with Hybrid Control taking the 4th position (Preference Score: 0.51300), particularly excelling in Traffic Engineering.

A hierarchical approach for accelerating IoT data management process based on SDN principles

The human life is changing drastically due to a popular emerging technology called Internet of things (IoT). The growth in the number of devices connecting to IoT networks results in large volumes of data collected or generated by these devices. Since IoT data is different from other types of data in terms of diversity and rapid growth and due to the huge amount of the generated data, the complexity in management and load balancing issues in IoT networks, there is a need for innovative ideas in IoT design and management. Software Defined Networking (SDN) as a promising paradigm separates the control functions from physical devices and places them inside a logically centralized control plane. SDN propounds the concept of programmable networks and due to its unique capabilities, seems to be very useful in reducing the management complexities of a dynamic network like IoT. In this paper, a hierarchical SDN-based approach is proposed for accelerating the data management and balancing the load not only between the IoT devices of a single domain, but also between different network clusters. The proposed framework prevents the controller from becoming a single point of failure and makes it possible to apply different kinds of management and load balancing strategies in a hierarchical and multistep scenario. According to the experimental results, our scheme exhibits a reduction in the average turnaround time and the average waiting time and improves the processing performance. Furthermore, the proposed approach distributes tasks evenly throughout the network and improves the use of network resources.

Scalable Application- and User-aware Resource Allocation in Enterprise Networks Using End-Host Pacing

Providing scalable user- and application-aware resource allocation for heterogeneous applications sharing an enterprise network is still an unresolved problem. The main challenges are as follows: (i) How do we define user- and application-aware shares of resources? (ii) How do we determine an allocation of shares of network resources to applications? (iii) How do we allocate the shares per application in heterogeneous networks at scale? In this article, we propose solutions to the three challenges and introduce a system design for enterprise deployment. Defining the necessary resource shares per application is hard, as the intended use case, the user’s environment, e.g., big or small display, and the user’s preferences influence the resource demand. We tackle the challenge by associating application flows with utility functions from subjective user experience models, selected Key Performance Indicators, and measurements. The specific utility functions then enable a mapping of network resources in terms of throughput and latency budget to a common user-level utility scale. A sensible distribution of the resources is determined by formulating a multi-objective mixed integer linear program to solve the throughput- and delay-aware embedding of each utility function in the network for a max-min fairness criteria. The allocation of resources in traditional networks with policing and scheduling cannot distinguish large numbers of classes and interacts badly with congestion control algorithms. We propose a resource allocation system design for enterprise networks based on Software-Defined Networking principles to achieve delay-constrained routing in the network and application pacing at the end-hosts. The system design is evaluated against best effort networks in a proof-of-concept set-up for scenarios with increasing number of parallel applications competing for the throughput of a constrained link. The competing applications belong to the five application classes web browsing, file download, remote terminal work, video streaming, and Voice-over-IP. The results show that the proposed methodology improves the minimum and total utility, minimizes packet loss and queuing delay at bottlenecks, establishes fairness in terms of utility between applications, and achieves predictable application performance at high link utilization.

Software-defined application-specific traffic management for wireless body area networks

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) are usually used to collect and monitor health-related information for both critical and non-critical patients. However, the traditional WBAN communication framework is unable to guarantee the successful delivery of critical information due to a lack of administrative control and priority support for emergency data. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a novel software-defined networking (SDN)-based WBAN (SDWBAN) framework for application-specific traffic management. An application classification algorithm and a packet flow mechanism are developed by incorporating SDN principles with WBAN to effectively manage complex and critical traffic in the network. Furthermore, a Sector-Based Distance (SBD) protocol is designed and utilized to facilitate the SDWBAN communication framework. Finally, the proposed SDWBAN framework is evaluated through the CASTALIA simulator in terms of Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) and latency. The experimental outcomes show that the proposed system achieves high throughput and low latency for emergency traffic in SDWBANs.

Abstraction and Control of Multi-Domain Disaggregated Optical Networks With OpenROADM Device Models

Network operators are evolving their optical transport networks in order to make them cost effective. In some scenarios, this means considering adopting software-defined networking principles along with open and standard interfaces, leveraging the underlying hardware programmability while, at the same time, considering the benefits of (partial) disaggregation, in view of the potential benefits of decoupling terminal devices from the line systems or of separating the hardware from the controlling software. In this evolution, operators often segment their networks into domains. Reasons include the need to scale, or confidentiality and/or vendor interoperability constraints. Additionally, the need to virtualize the (multi-domain) transport network has emerged as a key requirement to support functions such as network slicing and partitioning, and to empower end users to control their allocated partitions, enabling new business models related to multi-tenancy. In this context, several standards-defining organizations have been working on architectures, interfaces, and protocols to support requirements, such as the Abstraction and Control of Traffic Engineering Networks of the Internet Engineering Task Force, known as ACTN. In this article, we experimentally validate a control plane architecture for multi-domain disaggregated transport networks that relies on the deployment of network elements compliant with the OpenROADM multi source agreement device model. We demonstrate the abstraction and control of such networks in line with the ACTN framework and we show the applicability of the approach with a proof-of-concept testbed implementation.

An Edge-to-Cloud Virtualized Multimedia Service Platform for 5G Networks

The focus of research into 5G networks to date has been largely on the required advances in network architectures, technologies, and infrastructures. Less effort has been put on the applications and services that will make use of and exploit the flexibility of 5G networks built upon the concept of software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV). Media-based applications are amongst the most demanding services, requiring large bandwidths for high audio–visual quality, low-latency for interactivity, and sufficient infrastructure resources to deliver the computational power for running the media applications in the networked cloud. This paper presents a novel service virtualization platform (SVP), called 5G-MEDIA SVP, which leverages the principles of NFV and SDN to facilitate the development, deployment, and operation of media services on 5G networks. The platform offers an advanced cognitive management environment for the provisioning of network services (NSs) and media-related applications, which directly link their lifecycle management with user experience as well as optimization of infrastructure resource utilization. Another innovation of 5G-MEDIA SVP is the integration of serverless computing with media intensive applications in 5G networks, increasing cost effectiveness of operation and simplifying development and deployment time. The proposed SVP is being validated against three media use cases: 1) immersive virtual reality 3-D gaming application; 2) remote production of broadcast content incorporating user generated contents; and 3) dynamically adaptive content distribution networks for the intelligent distribution of ultrahigh definition content. The preliminary results of the 5G-MEDIA SVP platform evaluation are compared against current practice and show that the proposed platform provides enhanced functionality for the operators and infrastructure owners, while ensuring better NS performance to service providers and end users.

SD-CPS: software-defined cyber-physical systems. Taming the challenges of CPS with workflows at the edge

A cyber-physical system (CPS) is a smart mechanical environment, developed by an amalgamation of computation, networking, and physical dimensions. Each CPS consists of a network of devices, often limited in computing, storage, or bandwidth resources. Moreover, the frequent small-scale communications between the various counterparts of CPS require data and computation of CPS to be deployed close to each other, with the ability to support micro-executions. Due to these operational requirements, CPS faces several inherent challenges, uncommon to a traditional computational environment. In this paper, we describe software-defined cyber-physical systems (SD-CPS), a CPS framework built by extending and adapting the design principles of software-defined networking (SDN) into CPS. We realize the support for CPS operation as a workflow of microservices, possibly in continuous or cyclic execution. SD-CPS coordinates each CPS execution step, performed by a microservice, through an extended SDN controller architecture. By creating, placing, deploying, migrating, and managing the computation processes of CPS as service workflows at the edge, SD-CPS orchestrates the entire lifecycle of the CPS effectively and efficiently. SD-CPS thus addresses the general challenges of CPS, concerning modeling, development, performance, management, communication and coordination, scalability, and fault-tolerance, through its software-defined approach. Our evaluations highlight the efficiency of the SD-CPS framework and the scalability of its SDN controller to manage the complex CPS environments.

The dichotomy of distributed and centralized control: METRO-HAUL, when control planes collide for 5G networks

Automating the provisioning of 5G services, deployed over a heterogeneous infrastructure (in terms of domains, technologies, and management platforms), remains a complex task, yet driven by the constant need to provide end-to-end connections at network slices at reducing costs and service deployment time. At the same time, such services are increasingly conceived around interconnected functions and require allocation of computing, storage, and networking resources.The METRO-HAUL 5G research initiative acknowledges the need for automation and strives to develop an orchestration platform for services and resources that extends, integrates, and builds on top of existing approaches, macroscopically adopting Transport Software Defined Networking principles, and leveraging the programmability and open control of Transport SDN.

Mosaic5G

Network slicing is one of the key enablers to provide the required flexibility and to realize the service-oriented vision toward fifth generation (5G) mobile networks. In that sense, virtualization, softwarization, and disaggregation are core concepts to accommodate the requirements of an end-to-end (E2E) service to be either isolated, shared, or customized. They lay the foundation for a multi-service and multi-tenant architecture, and are realized by applying the principles of software-defined networking (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV), and cloud computing to the mobile networks. Research on these principles requires agile and flexible platforms that offer a wide range of real-world experimentations over different domains to open up innovations in 5G. To this end, we present Mosaic5G, a community-led consortium for sharing platforms, providing a number of software components, namely FlexRAN, LL-MEC, JOX and Store, spanning application, management, control and user plane on top of OpenAirInterface (OAI) platform. Finally, we show several use cases of Mosaic5G corresponding to widely-mentioned 5G research directions.

Control, Management, and Orchestration of Optical Networks: Evolution, Trends, and Challenges

Automating the provisioning of telecommunications services, deployed over a heterogeneous infrastructure (in terms of domains, technologies, and management platforms), remains a complex task, yet driven by the constant need to reduce costs and service deployment time. This is more so, when such services are increasingly conceived around interconnected functions and require allocation of computing, storage, and networking resources. This automation drives the development of service and resource orchestration platforms that extend, integrate, and build on top of existing approaches, macroscopically adopting software-defined networking principles, leveraging programmability, and open control in view of interoperability. Such systems are combining centralized and distributed elements, integrating platforms whose development may happen independently and parallel, and are constantly adapting to ever changing requirements, such as virtualization and slicing. Of specific interest is the (optical) transport network segment, traditionally operated independently via closed proprietary systems, and characterized by being relatively complex and hard to reach consensus regarding modeling and abstraction. In view of the targets, the transport network segment needs to be integrated into such service orchestration platforms efficiently. In this context, this paper aims at providing an introduction to control, management, and orchestration systems, of which the network control is a core component, along their main drivers, key benefits, and functional/protocol architectures. It covers multidomain and multilayer networks and includes complex use cases, challenges and current trends such as joint cloud/network orchestration and 5G network slicing.

On the Impact of Deploying Optical Transport Networks Using Disaggregated Line Systems

Based on fundamental software-defined networking principles, disaggregated solutions have recently been proposed for optical transport networks. The first solution of such type takes the form of disaggregated line systems, which allow network operators to build networks using add/drop multiplexers from multiple vendors. In addition, these line systems allow any specification-compliant optical transponder to be freely connected, independent of their manufacturer. By removing the single-vendor dependency from line systems, traditional business models, based on vertically integrated solutions, are challenged and need to be rethought. Furthermore, competition between vendors is expected to increase, leading to higher innovation and differentiation. However, the development of interoperable line systems sharing a common set of specifications and capabilities may only be able to deliver suboptimal optical transmission performances when compared with proprietary solutions where line systems are fine-tuned. Hence, this paper evaluates the routing performance between disaggregated and proprietary optical line systems. Network simulations are carried out considering two different topologies with single- and multidomain proprietary deployments. The results obtained show that while proprietary line systems keep the capability of achieving the best optical performance, disaggregated solutions cannot be ignored since they have the potential to reduce the optical-electrical-optical interface count with respect to multivendor deployments while still guaranteeing minimal demand blocking.

Performance analysis of SLTC-D2D handover mechanism in software-defined networks

ABSTRACTDevice-to-Device (D2D) communications has a great potential to bring major performance improvement to the present day heterogeneous network by reutilizing the cellular resources. Handover between the devices can be made more efficient when integrated in the Software-Defined Network (SDN). In the proposed work, Exemplary Handover Scheme during D2D Communication (EHSD) architecture based on SDN principles is considered. A new Handoff mechanism based on the parameters Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise-Ratio (SINR), System Load (SL), and Time of Association (ToA) Combination (SLTC) is formulated for execution of handoff. The conveyed mechanism reduces the number of unnecessary handoff, minimizes the packet loss and balances the load guaranteeing Quality of Service (QoS). The simulation results are examined and comparative analysis is carried out on the D2D handover based on SLTC scheme, D2D Handover and cellular handover in an SDN.

Backpressure on the Backbone: A Lightweight, Non-Intrusive Traffic Engineering Approach

The present study proposes a novel collaborative traffic engineering scheme for networks of autonomous systems (ASes). Backpressure routing principles are used for deriving priority routing rules that optimally stabilize a network, while maximizing its throughput under latency considerations. The routing rules are deployed to the network following simple software-defined networking principles. The proposed scheme requires minimal, infrequent interaction with a central controller, limiting its imposed workload. Furthermore, it respects the internal structure of the ASes and their existing peering relations. In addition, it co-exists smoothly with underlying distance vector-based routing schemes. The proposed scheme combines simplicity with substantial gains in served transit traffic volume, as shown by simulations in realistic setups and proven via mathematical analysis.

A Novel SDN-Based Architecture to Provide Synchronization as a Service in 5G Scenarios

Moving toward 5G, network synchronization is expected to play a key role in the successful deployment of the new mobile communication networks. This article presents an application of SDN (software defined networking) and NFV (network function virtualization) principles to the network synchronization area, making it possible to offer synchronization as a service. The approach is based on defining a harmonization layer that orchestrates radio and heterogeneous transport domains by means of a suitable subset of abstracted information exchanged among the domains, and by making use of virtualized synchronization functions.

OpenFlow arbitrated programmable network channels for managing quantum metadata

Quantum networks must classically exchange complex metadata between devices in order to carry out information for protocols such as teleportation, super-dense coding, and quantum key distribution. Demonstrating the integration of these new communication methods with existing network protocols, channels, and data forwarding mechanisms remains an open challenge. Software-defined networking (SDN) offers robust and flexible strategies for managing diverse network devices and uses. We adapt the principles of SDN to the deployment of quantum networks, which are composed from unique devices that operate according to the laws of quantum mechanics. We show how quantum metadata can be managed within a software-defined network using the OpenFlow protocol, and we describe how OpenFlow management of classical optical channels is compatible with emerging quantum communication protocols. We next give an example specification of the metadata needed to manage and control quantum physical layer (QPHY) behavior and we extend the OpenFlow interface to accommodate this quantum metadata. We conclude by discussing near-term experimental efforts that can realize SDN’s principles for quantum communication.

Inter-domain SDN: Analysing the Effects of Routing Centralization on BGP Convergence Time

Software-defined networking (SDN) has improved the routing functionality in networks like data centers or WANs. Recently, several studies proposed to apply the SDN principles in the Internet's inter-domain routing as well. This could offer new routing opportunities and improve the performance of BGP, which can take minutes to converge to routing changes. Previous works have demonstrated that centralization can benefit the functionality of BGP, and improve its slow convergence that causes severe packet losses and performance degradation. However, due to (a) the fact that previous works mainly focus on system design aspects, and (b) the lack of real deployments, it is not clearly understood yet to what extent inter-domain SDN can improve performance. To this end, in this work, we make the first effort towards analytically studying the effects of routing centralization on the performance of inter-domain routing, and, in particular, the convergence time of BGP. Specifically, we propose a Markovian model for inter-domain networks, where a subset of nodes (domains) coordinate to centralize their inter-domain routing. We then derive analytic results that quantify the BGP convergence time under various network settings (like, SDN penetration, topology, BGP configuration, etc.). Our analysis and results facilitate the performance evaluation of inter-domain SDN networks, which have been studied (till now) only through simulations/emulations that are known to suffer from high time/resource requirements and limited scalability.

An SDN-Assisted Framework for Optimal Deployment of MapReduce Functions in WSNs

In this paper, we propose a solution to support big data processing with MapReduce inside a wireless sensor network (WSN). The proposed framework provides a simple MapReduce interface, whose implementation can be dynamically loaded into the appropriate nodes. The execution of map and reduce functions inside the network is achieved by leveraging software defined networking principles and in particular by enhancing the SDN-WISE protocol on both the Controller and the sensor node sides. On the Controller side, the proposed framework introduces a functionality, which evaluates the optimal deployment of the processing functions in the network taking the typical WSN requirements into account and enforces it by instructing the flow tables to forward traffic from the mappers to the appropriate reducers. Then, on the node side, SDN-WISE is integrated with Contiki, a widely popular operating system for sensor nodes, which has the capability to load and execute new functions without service disruption, i.e., on the fly. The proposed framework is evaluated considering different network topologies and approaches about the data processing location.