SDN Control Plane Performance Testing via Cloned Data Plane
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Solution Overview
Problem
The telco industry faces challenges in rapidly scheduling, testing, and allocating physical network resources for Software Defined Networking (SDN) due to manual efforts in tuning control planes and running tests, which is time-consuming and inefficient, especially with the anticipated increase in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) streams from Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, leading to potential control plane bottlenecks and network performance issues.
Innovation Solution
An in-production performance testing platform that automates the testing of SDN control planes by cloning and virtualizing the network, using a Campaign Manager to orchestrate experimental campaigns, a Load Generator to mirror and generate workload requests, and a Topology Manager to emulate the network topology, allowing for performance testing during production hours without disrupting the production workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual tuning and testing of SDN control plane is performed, then network configuration accuracy is improved, but testing time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a cloned SDN data plane and configures it with expected performance metrics before actual performance testing begins. This preliminary configuration establishes a baseline for automated comparison during testing, eliminating the need for manual tuning during the testing phase itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a clone of the SDN data plane that replicates the production environment. This cloned environment can be tested automatically without affecting the production network, allowing rapid iteration and testing without manual intervention in the live system.
2Speed
If cloud services are instantiated rapidly, then service deployment speed is improved, but resource allocation speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures the cloned SDN data plane with expected performance metrics and topology descriptions before performance testing begins. This preliminary setup enables automated testing workflows to execute rapidly without requiring manual resource allocation or configuration adjustments during testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated performance testing system self-manages the testing workflow by automatically querying the SDN controller for topology information, configuring the cloned data plane, executing performance tests, and comparing results against expected metrics without requiring manual intervention at each step.
3Quantity of substance
If control plane capacity is increased to handle M2M streams, then network capacity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the SDN control plane from the data plane, allowing independent testing and management. The cloned SDN data plane can be tested and configured independently with appropriate capacity for M2M streams, while the control plane remains manageable through automated testing workflows that validate performance metrics without requiring manual configuration of each component.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure generally discloses a performance testing capability configured for performance testing in communication networks. The performance testing capability may be configured to support in-production performance testing in communication networks. The performance testing capability may be configured to support in-production performance testing in Software Defined Networking (SDN) based communication networks.