Software-defined Wireless Sensor Networks Research Articles

Traffic Load Minimization in Software Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

The emerging software defined networking enables the separation of control plane and data plane and saves the resource consumption of the network. Breakthrough in this area has opened up a new dimension to the design of software defined method in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, the limited routing strategy in software defined WSNs (SDWSNs) imposes a great challenge in achieving the minimum traffic load. In this paper, we propose a flow splitting optimization (FSO) algorithm for solving the problem of traffic load minimization (TLM) in SDWSNs by considering the selection of optimal relay sensor node and the transmission of optimal splitting flow. To this end, we first establish the model of different packet types and describe the TLM problem. We then formulate the TLM problem into an optimization problem which is constrained by the load of sensor nodes and the packet similarity between different sensor nodes. Afterwards, we present a Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm for solving the optimization problem of traffic load. We also provide the convergence analysis of the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. Finally, we implement the FSO algorithm in the NS-2 simulator and give extensive simulation results to verify the efficiency of FSO algorithm in SDWSNs.

ETMRM: An Energy-efficient Trust Management and Routing Mechanism for SDWSNs

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has been introduced to Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) to achieve centralized control and flexible network management. In Software-Defined Wireless Sensor Networks (SDWSNs), security and energy are two critical issues. However, few studies address these two aspects simultaneously. In this paper, we propose an Energy-efficient Trust Management and Routing Mechanism (ETMRM) for SDWSNs to handle the malicious forwarding attacks, such as selective forwarding attack and new-flow attack. In the ETMRM, we firstly extend the SensorFlow tables to realize a light-weight trust monitoring and evaluation scheme at the node level, and propose a centralized trust management scheme at the controller level to detect and isolate the malicious nodes based on the trust information collected from sensor nodes. Secondly, we present an energy-efficient report message aggregating scheme for aggregation points’ selection to save energy and ensure the transmission of control traffic. Thirdly, we present a trust routing mechanism jointly considering the node’s residual energy and trust level to guarantee the transmission of data traffic. The experimental results show that the proposed architecture detects and responds to the internal network attacks, such as Greyhole, Blackhole, new-flow attacks, efficiently. Compared with the related work SDN-WISE, ETMRM improves the packet delivery ratio, reduces and balances the energy consumption, prolongs the network lifetime, and suffers lower control overhead.

Flexible network management and application service adaptability in software defined wireless sensor networks

The need for highly responsive and adaptable computing systems is essential in today’s network computing age. This is principally due to the drastic evolution in broad computing platforms operating at highly descriptive and abstracted mediums such as; reconfigurable computing systems, smart automation systems, cognitive and parallel programming systems which communicate using very complex resources or modes. Hence, such systems must incorporate the best forms of technologies to cater for the rapidly growing and heterogeneously connected platforms such as with Internet of Things (IoT). However, to effectively manage these network platforms with such high-end computing resources, requires a well-structured and carefully implemented systems. This work implements a Software Defined Wireless Sensor Network (SDWSN) approach coupled with Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and a highly extensible and scalable Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller–OpenDayLight (ODL), to implement a software-oriented network environment to increase network service adaptability and simplify network management. The implemented approach uses the ODL’s Model-Driven Service Abstraction Layer (MD-SAL) to facilitate the forwarding layer by applying state procedures to manage flow rules and introduce software-oriented network services. Experimental results indicate that in this approach, the traffic flow routing is significantly improved, with reduced transmission delays and that the underlying sensor nodes uses less energy since energy demanding tasks are performed on the controller.

Energy‐efficient radio resource allocation in software‐defined wireless sensor networks

The software-defined wireless sensor networks (SDWSNs) have been proposed recently to solve the energy limitation of sensor nodes and extend the lifetime of the wireless sensor networks by fast node reconstruction and dynamical resource allocation. In this study, the authors investigate an energy-efficient resource allocation algorithm in SDWSNs, in which radio resource allocation could be handled at central controllers with powerful storage and computation capacity. In this algorithm, the authors formulate an optimisation problem to minimise the energy consumption, under the individual constraint of quality of service. Then, the initial optimisation problem is transformed using semidefinite relaxation, to achieve centralised adaptive bandwidth and power allocation (CABPA). Additionally, two special cases are derived to reveal the performance of the CABPA. Furthermore, an OpenFlow-based scheme is proposed for information exchanging and updating to realise the centralised resource allocation. Meanwhile, a distributed scheme with limited information about the whole network is developed to serve as a performance benchmark for the CABPA in the SDWSN. Finally, the simulation results reveal that the proposed CABPA performs better than the other algorithms, and it balances the power and bandwidth utilisation.

PUF-Assisted Group Key Distribution Scheme for Software-Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

In this letter, a novel group key distribution scheme based on physical unclonable functions (PUFs) is proposed for software-defined wireless sensor networks. The PUF is difficult to be cloned and predicted, remarkably enhancing physical security performance of sensor nodes. In addition, under the centralized management of software-defined networking, PUF challenge is stored in the sensor nodes to minimize communication overhead. The proposed algorithm achieves group key delivery with two-way authentication function through one communication interaction. We demonstrate the scheme can resist multiple attacks, including cloning, eavesdropping, and so on, thus effectively guaranteeing the security and efficiency of group key distribution process.

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 U+0028 IIoT U+0029 has gained considerable attention from academia and industry. Wireless sensor networks U+0028 WSNs U+0029 have many advantages with broad applications in many areas including environmental monitoring, which makes it a very important part of IIoT. 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 U+0028 SDN U+0029, and modify this network to propose a framework called the improved software defined wireless sensor network U+0028 improved SD-WSN U+0029. This proposed framework can address the following issues. 1 U+0029 For a large scale heterogeneous network, it solves the problem of network management and smooth merging of a WSN into IIoT. 2 U+0029 The network coverage problem is solved which improves the network reliability. 3 U+0029 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 IIoT 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.

A CoAP based control plane for software defined wireless sensor networks

WSN have limitations that make them difficult to apply in critical and large-scale scenarios. The main identified barriers are the difficulty of building the management system, and their lack of flexibility to adapt to policy changes. Software defined networking (SDN) is a viable alternative to solve these limitations. Besides, SDN can bring several other benefits to WSN, allowing, for example, complex network applications to run on the controller. A new approach called software-defined wireless sensor network (SDWSN) is increasing in interest by the research community, and in this paper, we propose a new SDWSN control plane based on the constrained application protocol (CoAP). We provide a comprehensive specification for the control plane, including the communication infrastructure, the control plane protocol, and the basic networking functions in controllers (topology discovery and flow control). We show how the proposed control plan can be implemented in the Contiki operating system and present a preliminary performance evaluation of the overhead introduced by the control plane protocol.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Energy efficient topology management scheme based on clustering technique for software defined wireless sensor network

Load balancing and energy conservation techniques are one of the significant constraints in the design of in software defined wireless sensor network (SD-WSN). Usually, clustering method helps the network in the minimum utilization of energy that results in enhancing network lifetime. Moreover, various nodes in the multi-hop network that are near to the base station drain their battery very quickly thus lead to creating hot spot problem in a network. To overcome such constraints, this paper proposes a multilayer clustering architecture for selection of forwarding node, rotation of cluster head, and inter and intra-cluster routing communication. The proposed scheme efficiently tackle the rotation of forwarder node by incorporating routing table (table list) at each node. Moreover, the rotation is performed by the consideration of two threshold levels of the residual energy of a node. Also, the exploitation of decision maker node, forwarder node, backup forwarder node, and non-forwarder node enhancing the routing strategy in a network. The performance of the proposed scheme is tested and evaluated by C programming language. The results show that the proposed scheme successful achieve better results than TLPER and EADUC in energy consumption per node, end-to-end communication, hop count in cluster formation.

Fuzzy topology discovery protocol for SDN-based wireless sensor networks

The growing trend in pervasive systems forces traditional wireless sensor networks to deal with new challenges, such as dynamic application requirements and heterogeneous networks. One of the latest paradigms in this area is software defined wireless sensor network. According to the paradigm, the networks take care of managing topological information and forwarding decisions using a bipartite architecture in which a control plane decides the forwarding policies and the data plane (i.e. ordinary sensor nodes) executes them. Unfortunately, in highly dynamic networks, this approach generates an overhead of control packet exchange between the ordinary nodes and the control plane, that leads to additional energy consumptions. This paper proposes a fuzzy logic based solution, called Fuzzy Topology Discovery Protocol (FTDP), to improve the efficiency of software defined wireless sensor networks. This work is designed according to the Software Defined Networking solution for WIreless SEnsor networks (SDN-WISE), which is an open source solution for software defined wireless sensor networks. The proposed work is one of the first attempts to use fuzzy theory in software defined based wireless sensor networks. The simulation results show that our approach can increase the lifetime of the network by 45% and decreases the packet loss ratio by 50% compared to the basic SDN-WISE solution.

Design of multi-energy-space-based energy-efficient algorithm in novel software-defined wireless sensor networks

Energy efficiency has always been a hot issue in wireless sensor networks. A lot of energy-efficient algorithms have been proposed to reduce energy consumption in traditional wireless sensor networks. With the emergence of software-defined networking, researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of software-defined networking over traditional wireless sensor networks. Thus, energy-efficient algorithms in software-defined wireless sensor networks have been studied. In this article, we propose an energy-efficient algorithm based on multi-energy-space in software-defined wireless sensor networks. First, we propose a novel architecture of software-defined wireless sensor networks according to current research on software-defined wireless sensor networks. Then, we introduce the concept of multi-energy-space which is based on the residual energy. Based on the novel architecture of software-defined wireless sensor networks and the concept of multi-energy-space, we give a detailed introduction of the main idea of our multi-energy-space-based energy-efficient algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm performs better in energy consumption balance and network lifetime extension compared with the typical energy-efficient algorithms in traditional wireless sensor networks.

Scale-free topology optimization for software-defined wireless sensor networks: A cyber-physical system

Due to the limited resource and vulnerability in wireless sensor networks, maximizing the network lifetime and improving network survivability have become the top priority problem in network topolo...

Software defined wireless sensor networks application opportunities for efficient network management: A survey

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are commonly used information technologies of modern networking and computing platforms. Today's network computing applications are faced with a high demand of powerful network functionalities. Functional network reach is central to customer satisfaction such as in mobile networks and cloud computing environments. However, efficient management of WSNs remains a challenge, due to problems supplemental to them. Recent technology shift proposes Software Defined Networking (SDN) for improving computing networks. This review paper highlights application challenges faced by WSNs for monitored environments and those faced by the proposed approaches, as well as opportunities that can be realized on applications of WSNs using SDN. We also highlight Implementation considerations by focusing on critical aspects that should not be disregarded when attempting to improve network functionalities. We then propose a strategy for Software Defined Wireless Sensor Network (SDWSN) as an effort for application improvement in monitored environments.

A Survey on Software-Defined Wireless Sensor Networks: Challenges and Design Requirements

Software defined networking (SDN) brings about innovation, simplicity in network management, and configuration in network computing. Traditional networks often lack the flexibility to bring into effect instant changes because of the rigidity of the network and also the over dependence on proprietary services. SDN decouples the control plane from the data plane, thus moving the control logic from the node to a central controller. A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a great platform for low-rate wireless personal area networks with little resources and short communication ranges. However, as the scale of WSN expands, it faces several challenges, such as network management and heterogeneous-node networks. The SDN approach to WSNs seeks to alleviate most of the challenges and ultimately foster efficiency and sustainability in WSNs. The fusion of these two models gives rise to a new paradigm: Software defined wireless sensor networks (SDWSN). The SDWSN model is also envisioned to play a critical role in the looming Internet of Things paradigm. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the SDWSN literature. Moreover, it delves into some of the challenges facing this paradigm, as well as the major SDWSN design requirements that need to be considered to address these challenges.

A Game-Theoretic and Energy-Efficient Algorithm in an Improved Software-Defined Wireless Sensor Network

Because wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming increasingly integrated into daily life, solving the energy efficiency problem of such networks is an urgent problem. Many energy-efficient algorithms have been proposed to reduce energy consumption in traditional WSNs. The emergence of software-defined networks (SDNs) enables the transformation of WSNs. Some SDN-based WSNs architectures have been proposed and energy-efficient algorithms in SDN-based WSNs architectures have been studied. In this paper, we integrate an SDN into WSNs and an improved software-defined WSNs (SD-WSNs) architecture is presented. Based on the improved SD-WSNs architecture, we propose an energy-efficient algorithm. This energy-efficient algorithm is designed to match the SD-WSNs architecture, and is based on the residual energy and the transmission power, and the game theory is introduced to extend the network lifetime. Based on the SD-WSNs architecture and the energy-efficient algorithm, we provide a detailed introduction to the operating mechanism of the algorithm in the SD-WSNs. The simulation results show that our proposed algorithm performs better in terms of balancing energy consumption and extending the network lifetime compared with the typical energy-efficient algorithms in traditional WSNs.

Multi-Domain SDN Survivability for Agricultural Wireless Sensor Networks.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely applied in agriculture field; meanwhile, the advent of multi-domain software-defined networks (SDNs) have improved the wireless resource utilization rate and strengthened network management. In recent times, multi-domain SDNs have been applied to agricultural sensor networks, namely multi-domain software-defined wireless sensor networks (SDWSNs). However, when the SDNs controlling agriculture networks suddenly become unavailable, whether intra-domain or inter-domain, sensor network communication is abnormal because of the loss of control. Moreover, there are controller and switch info-updating problems even if the controller becomes available again. To resolve these problems, this paper proposes a new approach based on an Open vSwitch extension for multi-domain SDWSNs, which can enhance agriculture network survivability and stability. We achieved this by designing a connection-state mechanism, a communication mechanism on both L2 and L3, and an info-updating mechanism based on Open vSwitch. The experimental results show that, whether it is agricultural inter-domain or intra-domain during the controller failure period, the sensor switches can enter failure recovery mode as soon as possible so that the sensor network keeps a stable throughput, a short failure recovery time below 300 ms, and low packet loss. Further, the domain can smoothly control the domain network again once the controller becomes available. This approach based on an Open vSwitch extension can enhance the survivability and stability of multi-domain SDWSNs in precision agriculture.

Efficient Wireless Power Transfer in Software-Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

The ever-growing increase in modern and ubiquitous applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is causing energy scarcity, which is a serious threat to the lifetime of the network. Wireless power transfer emerges as a promising solution to replenish the sensor nodes. In wireless power transfer, energy is transferred to sensor nodes through dedicated energy transmitters. In addition, software-defined WSNs (SDWSNs) have been recently realized to fully explore and efficiently utilize the resources of WSNs. In this paper, we present an energy efficient SDWSN with wireless power transfer. We propose a mechanism to place energy transmitters and determine minimum number of energy transmitters. For placement of energy transmitters, a tradeoff between maximum energy charged in the network and fair distribution of energy is studied. We present this mechanism by defining a utility function to maximize both total energy charged and fairness. For minimum number of energy transmitters, an optimization problem is formulated and solved while satisfying the constraint on minimum energy charged by each sensor node. We also propose an energy-efficient scheduling scheme for energy transmitters for the given tasks of energy charging. The focus is to minimize the energy consumption of energy transmitters while keeping sensor nodes sufficiently charged. Finally, this paper is supported by extensive simulation results, which illustrate the performance of energy-efficient SDWSNs with wireless power transfer in terms of energy charged, fairness, number of energy transmitters, number of tasks, and energy consumption.

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Software Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

Although Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have emerged with a great potential to change our life, especially with ubiquitous sensing and sensory data access through Sensing-as-a-service ( $\text{S}^{2}$ aaS) models, there are still many fundamental technical challenges that need to be addressed to realize this potential. These challenges include the complexity and diversity of applications, the needs for highly flexible and secure configuration management mechanisms, the need to design programmable and novel sensory techniques, and the needs to balance local intelligence and scalable cloud-based intelligence to satisfy real-time service objectives.

A Lottery SMC Protocol for the Selection Function in Software Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we focus on selecting targeted number from private sensory data in the software-defined wireless sensor networks and propose a lottery secure multiparty computation protocol for the selection function based on the layered homomorphic encryption and the equivalent transformation of two arrays. We also prove that it is secure via real/ideal simulation paradigm, no matter the Web server is honest or semi-honest in the presented security model.

An Energy-Efficient Routing Algorithm for Software-Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

Recent significant research on wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has led to the widespread adoption of software-defined WSNs (SDWSNs), which can be reconfigured even after deployment. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient routing algorithm for SDWSNs. In this algorithm, to make the network to be functional, control nodes are selected to assign different tasks dynamically. The selection of control nodes is formulated as an NP-hard problem, taking into consideration of the residual energy of the nodes and the transmission distance. To tackle the NP-hard problem, an efficient particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs well over other comparative algorithms under various scenarios.

Resource Provisioning for Cloud-Assisted Software Defined Wireless Sensor Network

Due to the significant advancement of wireless and mobile technology, the applications targeted for these are getting more and more complex and demanding of high power and resources. The cloud-assisted software-defined wireless sensor networking (CSDWSN) paradigm has emerged as a promising solution to perform these highly demanding tasks with the help of powerful cloud servers. However, due to the dynamic variation in sensor users demands, it is becoming challenging for a single CSDWSN provider to always provide a sufficient amount of computing resources to fulfill users needs. This paper exhibits an approach of resource and revenue sharing with coalition development among CSDWSN providers. The proposed method models the collaborations among the CSDWSN providers as a coalition game. As opposed to existing methodologies, the game model goes for amplifying the individual revenue of CSDWSN providers with minimum energy consumption by analyzing their internal users demand and dynamic pricing strategy. In addition, the proposed game enables a socially optimal and stable coalition structure, which leads to both increased total profit of a federation and improved equality among participating CSDWSN providers. Various simulation experiments were completed to demonstrate the viability of the proposed cooperative game model.