Download The role of Software Defined Networking in Wireless Mesh

The role of Software Defined
Networking in Wireless Mesh Network
SUBMISSION DATE: JUNE 1, 2015
Author: Ramin Hafezi
Supervisor Name: Prof. Mehran Abolhasan
University of Technology, Sydney
Keywords
[Note: Bold lines may be removed in the final edition!]

Wireless Mesh Network
Wireless Mesh network (WMN) is a multi-hop radio station nodes with two Wi-Fi interfaces. One
interface implements as an ad-hoc wireless Lan (WLAN). It acts as mesh router to forward the
traffic via other nodes to the gateway. Other Wi-Fi interface implements as an access point (AP).
Wireless Mesh Network also needs protocols to process the swift roaming of user’s IP address
through the WMN and provide end-to-end connectivity. Advanced protocol such as Better
Approach to Mobile Ad-hoc Network (B.A.T.M.A.N) and Ad-Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector
(AODV) is used in WMN. These protocols can detect new nodes and modify network
configuration. So, WMN is self-organized and self-configured network and can be expand by just
adding more nodes.

Software Defined Networking
Any network node has data-plan and control-plan. Network nodes process the transit traffic in
data-plan and figure out what is going on around it by control-plan. In other words each node
looks at its own configuration setting to generate flow rules. Flow rules used to decide about
incoming packets. Software Define Networking (SDN) goals is to add management abstract layer
to the network. SDN also used to makes a decision about every node then generate specific flow
table for each of them. SDN enabled network has a central management site. It is reachable by
every nodes and is informed whenever changes occurs in the network. Therefore, it adds some
intelligence into the network. Moreover, SDN provides standard interface for programmers to
test their idea about management plan over the network. In this view, the whole network is
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like one programmable object for the network administrator.

OpenFlow
OpenFlow is a standard network communication protocol and is used to manage traffic in
network. It can be added as a features to routers, switches and access point in the network and
they can communicate with each other via OpenFlow protocol. In an OpenFlow switches and
access points the control plan is moved from the device to the network server. Thus, the network
devices do not make a decision about the incoming packet autonomously. This is important,
because the goal of SDN is removing decision making from network devices and allocate it to
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the specific server.
Abstract
[Note: Bold lines may be removed in the final edition!]
Each node in network decide independently and there is no central site than can decides for
every nodes. This becomes an issue in WMN. On the one hand, management packet are more
in mesh network topology than other network, because each node has direct access to other
nodes. One the other hand, Wireless network deliver less bandwidths than the wired network.
Thus, network failures and packet loses will be increased by adding more nodes or connecting
more users to WMN. Thus, in order to resolve this problem, we need network traffic is
engineered and monitored by management protocol.
Software-defined networking (SDN) helps to troubleshoot and resolve many errors in networks with
thousands of nodes. Moreover, SDN brings accuracy and productivity among prototypes of network
and changes network topology based on the operator view. One of the base impacts of SDN is
decoupling data-plan from control-plan. On the one hand, this separation helps network operators
to manage the whole network via network controllers. On the other hand, those controllers
generate traffic and reduces network bandwidth especially in WMN. Thus, adding SDN controller
in wireless mesh network (WMN) caused extra overhead to the nodes CPU and memory.
Each node in WMN has two separate interfaces. These interfaces used by control-plan and dataplan. In this paper we try to add another interface and allocate it to the SDN controller. This
network topology is build and test by author. Separating SDN packet from control packet is
valuable and brings extra bandwidth for the SDN controller.
Adding another abstract layer above the control plan and managing the whole network from the
central location is beneficial. Moreover, with that abstract layer, the network configuration can
change based on the view of the operator through the network. This functionality is essential in
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network virtualization and cloud network infrastructure.
1

Wireless Mesh Network .................................................................................................. 1

Software Defined Networking......................................................................................... 1

OpenFlow ........................................................................................................................ 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 7
1.1
Research Background ...................................................................................................... 7
1.2
What is new in this research? ......................................................................................... 7
1.3
Aim .................................................................................................................................. 8
1.4
Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 8
1.5
Research Significant ........................................................................................................ 8
........................................................................................................................................................ 9
........................................................................................................................................................ 9
........................................................................................................................................................ 9
........................................................................................................................................................ 9
........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Methods.................................................................................................................................. 9
3
Result ...................................................................................................................................... 9
4
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 10
5
Reference List ....................................................................................................................... 11
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4
2 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................ 9
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List of Figures
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List of Tables
1.1 Research Background
Wireless mesh network (WMN) is easy to install and implement. It needs less maintenance than
the wired network. Moreover, WMN is self-organizing and self-configuring. Each nodes in the
WMN has two radio interfaces. One interface provides network access and other interface acts
as a backbone to keep mesh network up and running. WMN provides wireless internet access
into the large area such as university campus.
Implementing SDN controller WMN is error prone. On the one hand, wireless mesh network
generates large control packets which needs to be handled by the network. This condition
getting worse when network gets bigger by adding more nodes to cover wider area. On the other
hand, SDN controller generates its own traffic and deliver them to the network to be routed to
the network server. Loading extra packet into the network causes packet congestion and
network failure. Then, mesh nodes goes into the cycle of reconfiguring, neighbors and route
finding. Thus, adding SDN controller into WMN might increase network failure.
Adding third radio interface into the wireless mesh nodes and run separate network for SDN
packet might solve the problem. This paper tries to address this issue by adding abstract layer
for wireless mesh network and implement this strategy by the test bed.
[This part will be completed in the following weeks]
1.2 What is new in this research?
SDN aims is to decoupling data-plan and control-plan. SDN and control plan help to manage the
network. Adding SDN controllers to network reduces the network density by analyzing the data
flow and sending the update packets to the server. Network server then choose new policy and
change device configuration to implement new strategy. These packets add more traffic to the
network and reduce bandwidth capacity.
management knowledge. This abstract layer detached the control traffic from the user traffic.
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liberated abstract layer over the existing data plan and control plan is new in the network
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I believe that SDN needs to be completely independent from the control plan. Adding another
1.3 Aim
1- New network management architecture for wireless mesh network which is simple to
control and provides higher user bandwidths.
2- Prove that new architecture are independent from number of nodes and provides
network stability in wireless mesh network.
3- Configuring OpenFlow to be independent from control-plan and route the SDN controller
packet into different subnet than mesh-backbone.
1.4 Objectives
1- Logical topology of the mesh-network with the SDN controller. This topology shows nodes
address and logical links between network devices. The SDN layer and its connection to
the underlying layer is also visible in this topology.
2- A set of instructions and list of needed software and hardware. This list will used to build
a test-bed and run the physical topology.
3- In order to prove that separating SDN controller traffic in mesh network, increase user
bandwidth we use “Iperf” software. Therefore, we can compare available user bandwidth
in mesh network with/without SDN controller.
1.5 Research Significant

Most research on SDN are focused on the wired network. Testing SDN over WMN is new.
Wireless mesh network is so popular and most enterprise companies try to implement it
for their own businesses.

Adding extra network for the SDN controller and configure the OpenFlow protocol to be
independent from control-plan. This network architecture deliver enough bandwidth for
both mesh backbone and SDN packet. Also the whole available bandwidth for the access
point can be allocated by the users. Thus, higher bandwidth and stable network is
deliverable.
This research is based on the UTS project in communication faculty and the author is one
of the project members. This research is also based on the test-bed result and real
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equipment in UTS CRIN lab.
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
1- New network management
architecture for Wireless mesh
network
2- Prove that new architecture are
independent from number of nodes
and provides
network stability in
 SDN
wireless mesh network.
 Wireless Mesh

OpenFlow
1- Logical topology of the mesh-network
with the SDN controller.
2- A set of instructions and list of needed
software and hardware.
3- In order to prove that separating SDN
controller traffic in mesh network,
increase user bandwidth we use
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“Iperf” software.
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