Flow Entry Synchronization in OpenFlow Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In OpenFlow network systems, the synchronization of flow entries across switches is inefficient, leading to prolonged service degradation times during failures or cluster switching, as existing methods lack a mechanism for partial synchronization of flow tables, resulting in high load and incorrect path calculations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a network system that manages synchronization status per flow entry unit, using an entry synchronization flag and partial synchronization process to prioritize and synchronize only necessary flow entries, ensuring correct path calculations and reducing unnecessary waiting times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If synchronization is performed for all switches and all flow entries, then flow entry consistency is ensured, but service degeneracy time becomes very long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flow table synchronization process by introducing a synchronization flag for each individual flow entry. This allows the system to track and synchronize only specific flow entries that require updates, rather than performing blanket synchronization of the entire flow table across all switches. The segmentation enables granular control over synchronization scope, reducing unnecessary synchronization operations and thereby decreasing service degeneracy time while maintaining flow entry consistency where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial synchronization by using synchronization flags to identify only those flow entries that need to be updated. Instead of performing excessive full-table synchronization, the system applies synchronization actions selectively to specific flow entries marked with synchronization flags. This partial action approach ensures flow entry consistency for critical entries while avoiding the time penalty of synchronizing entire flow tables, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and time loss.
2Measurement precision
If full flow table synchronization is performed, then path information accuracy is maintained, but processing load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the synchronization requirement from the entire flow table and applies it only to specific flow entries that need updates. By using synchronization flags to identify and extract only the necessary flow entries for synchronization, the system maintains path information accuracy for critical entries while avoiding the processing load of synchronizing the complete flow table. This extraction approach reduces redundant processing operations while preserving accuracy where required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial synchronization actions on only those flow entries that have synchronization flags set, rather than executing full flow table synchronization. This partial action maintains path information accuracy for the specific entries that require it, while significantly reducing the overall processing load by skipping unnecessary synchronization operations on entries that are already consistent or do not require updates.
3Reliability
If synchronization is performed for all flow entries, then path calculation correctness is ensured, but service restoration time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the synchronization process into individual flow entry-level operations using synchronization flags. This segmentation allows the system to restore path calculation correctness by synchronizing only the specific flow entries that are out of sync or require updates, rather than performing time-consuming full-table synchronization across all switches. The segmented approach ensures correctness where needed while minimizing service restoration time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial synchronization actions only to flow entries with synchronization flags set, ensuring path calculation correctness for critical entries without the overhead of synchronizing the entire flow table. This partial action approach maintains the reliability of path calculations for affected entries while significantly reducing service restoration time by avoiding unnecessary full-table synchronization operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The network system has a switch and a controller. The switch performs processes of a received packet in accordance with a flow entry in which are defined a rule and an action to uniformly control a packet as a flow. The controller transmits a control message to the switch to perform a setting of the flow entry, holds a flow entry identical to the flow entry set to the switch, manages a synchronization state per unity of a flow entry and preferentially synchronizes, in a case the flow entry is not synchronized, a specific flow entry between the switch.