SDN Control-Plane Configuration via Entity-Specific Functional Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In software-defined networks (SDNs), the decentralized multi-controller architecture faces challenges in ensuring that different controller entities do not deliver mutually conflicting configuration messages to data forwarding network elements, limiting scalability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for configuring the control-plane by determining entity-specific groups of control-plane functionalities, composing entity-specific portions of control data, and transmitting these to controller entities to distribute and dynamically adapt the control-plane functionalities based on functionality-specific and spatial requirements, ensuring that each controller entity implements distinct or redundant functionalities to avoid conflicts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a decentralized multi-controller architecture is used, then scalability is improved, but the risk of conflicting configuration messages increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control-plane functionalities are segmented and distributed across multiple controller entities. Each controller entity is assigned specific functionalities to manage, dividing the overall control responsibility into manageable segments that reduce conflicts and improve scalability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Different controller entities are assigned different sets of control-plane functionalities based on their local requirements and network positions. This local differentiation ensures that each controller manages its specific domain effectively while avoiding conflicts with other controllers managing different domains.
2Reliability
If control-plane functionalities are distributed across multiple controller entities, then system reliability is improved through redundancy, but configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control-plane is segmented into distinct functionalities that can be independently configured and managed by different controller entities. This segmentation enables redundancy without proportionally increasing overall configuration complexity, as each segment can be configured independently using the same standardized procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration system employs universal configuration mechanisms that can be applied across all controller entities regardless of their specific functional assignments. This universality simplifies the configuration process by allowing the same configuration framework to be used everywhere, reducing overall complexity despite the distributed nature of the system.
3Device complexity
If a centralized controller architecture is used, then configuration simplicity is maintained, but scalability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized control function is segmented and distributed across multiple controller entities. Each controller entity maintains a simplified configuration interface for its assigned functionalities while collectively providing the scalability of a distributed system. This segmentation allows the system to scale without requiring a single monolithic controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-point centralized control model to a multi-point distributed control model, adding the dimension of spatial distribution across multiple controller entities. This dimensional change enables scalability while maintaining configuration simplicity at each individual controller level through standardized interfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
A configuration system (101) for configuring the control-plane of a software- defined network is presented. The configuration system determines an entity- specific group of control-plane functionalities for each of controller entities located in a distributed way in the software-defined network. The control-plane functionalities are suitable for configuring data forwarding network elements, such as routers, to support services to be provided by the software-defined network. The configuration system composes, on the basis of the entity-specific groups, entity-specific portions of control data and transmits the entity-specific portions of the control data to the controller entities so as to configure each controller entity to support the corresponding entity-specific group of the control-plane functionalities. Thus, the control-plane functionalities can be distributed between the controller entities in scalable way for example in accordance with requirements related to the control-plane functionalities and/or a spatial distribution of the needs for different ones of the control-plane functionalities.