Authority Switches for SDN Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software-defined networks face challenges in supporting the mobility of mobile terminals due to their centralized structure, which leads to high load burdens on controllers and difficulties in accommodating extensive flow changes resulting from position changes.
Innovation Solution
The system defines switches as anchors in each partition, generates data paths based on wild-card rules, and transmits these rules to switches to minimize cache rule transmissions and ensure seamless data packet routing across partitions as the mobile terminal moves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a centralized controller structure is used in software-defined network, then traffic management precision is improved, but controller load burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network is divided into multiple partitions, each with its own authority switch serving as a local controller. This segmentation distributes the control functions across multiple nodes rather than concentrating them in a single centralized controller, thereby reducing the load burden on any single controller while maintaining precise traffic management within each partition through local authority switches and across partitions through inter-partition data paths.
2Quantity of substance
If DIFANE distributed flow architecture is used, then controller load is reduced, but applicability to mobile terminals deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The network is segmented into partitions with authority switches that serve as local anchors for mobile terminals. This segmentation enables the system to handle mobile terminal mobility by allowing terminals to move between partitions while maintaining continuous data paths through authority switches, thus achieving both load distribution and mobile terminal adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Authority switches serve as intermediary nodes between mobile terminals and the core network. These authority switches anchor mobile terminals in their respective partitions and manage data path establishment and maintenance, enabling seamless handover and continuous connectivity as terminals move between partitions without requiring extensive flow changes in the core network.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cache rules are transmitted frequently to support mobile terminal movement, then mobility support is improved, but transmission delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
Data paths between authority switches are pre-established based on partition information and wild-card rules before mobile terminals actually move between partitions. This preliminary action ensures that when a terminal moves, the data path is already in place, eliminating the need for frequent cache rule transmissions and reducing transmission delays while maintaining mobility support.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for supporting the mobility of a mobile terminal in a software-defined network are disclosed. A method for supporting the mobility of a mobile terminal in a software-defined network according to an embodiment of the invention can include: routing a data packet of the mobile terminal to an authority switch serving as an anchor within a first partition, said routing performed by a switch by referencing a flow table; and setting a data path to an authority switch of a second partition, which is the partition containing the destination of the data packet, based on a rule provided by a controller and transmitting the data packet to a destination, said setting and transmitting performed by the authority switch of the first partition.