Static placement and dynamic assignment of SDN controllers in LEO satellite networks

​© 2022 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Software-defined networking (SDN) logically separates the control and data planes, thus opening the way to more flexible configurations and management of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks. Since one or, more generally, multiple distributed controllers are needed, a significant challenge in SDN is the controller placement problem (CPP). Due to characteristics such as the dynamic network topology, limited bandwidth and traffic variations, the CPP is quite complex in SDN-based satellite networks. In this paper, we propose solving the CPP by means of a static placement with dynamic assignment (SPDA) method for LEO satellite networks. The SPDA method has two parts: the first is to incorporate SDN controllers into some fixed satellites by formulating a mixed integer programming model; the second is to dynamically assign switches to existing controllers according to the switch-controller latency and the traffic load of controllers. The SPDA method takes the topological dynamics into account by effectively dividing time snapshots, and it has a lower bandwidth consumption compared with methods involving controller migrations. Real satellite constellations are used to evaluate the performance of our controller placement solution. The results show that SPDA outperforms existing methods in terms of reducing the switch-controller latency, and it also has good load balancing performance.Postprint (published version

SDN controller placement in LEO Satellite Networks Based on dynamic topology

Software-defined networking (SDN) logically separates the control and data-forward planes, which opens the way to a more flexible configuration and management for low-Earth orbit satellite networks. A significant challenge in SDN is the controller placement problem (CPP). Due to characteristics such as the dynamic network topology and limited bandwidth, CPP is quite complex in satellite networks. In this paper, we propose a static placement with dynamic assignment (SPDA) method without high bandwidth assumption, and formulate it into a mixed integer programming model. The dynamic topology is taken into account by effectively dividing time snapshots. Real satellite constellations are adopted to evaluate the performance of our controller placement solution. The results show that SPDA outperforms existing methods and can reduce the switchcontroller latency in both average and worst casesThis work was supported in part by the National Key Research and Development Program of China under Grant 2016YFB0502402, and by the Agencia Estatal de Investigaci´on of Spain under project PID2019-108713RBC51/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.1 - Desenvolupar infraestructures fiables, sostenibles, resilients i de qualitat, incloent infraestructures regionals i transfrontereres, per tal de donar suport al desenvolupament econòmic i al benestar humà, amb especial atenció a l’accés assequible i equitatiu per a totes les personesObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraPostprint (published version

Exploitation of wireless control link in the software-defined LEO satellite network

software-defined satellite network, control link, cross layer optimization, power-efficient control link algorithmThe low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network can benefit from software-defined networking (SDN) by lightening forwarding devices and improving service diversity. In order to apply SDN into the network, however, reliable SDN control links should be associated from satellite gateways to satellites, with the wireless and mobile properties of the network taken into account. Since these characteristics affect both control link association and gateway power allocation, we define this new cross layer problem as an SDN control link problem. The problem is discussed from the viewpoint of multilayers such as automatic repeat request (ARQ) and gateway power allocation at the Link layer, and split transmit control protocol (TCP) and link scheduling at the Transport layer. A centralized SDN control framework constrained by maximum total power is introduced to enhance gateway power efficiency for control link setup. Based on the power control analysis of the problem, a power-efficient control link algorithm is developed, which establishes low latency control links with reduced power consumption. Along with the sensitivity analysis of the proposed control link algorithm, numerical results demonstrate low latency and high reliability of control links established by the algorithm, ultimately suggesting the feasibility, both technical and economical, of the software-defined LEO satellite network.open1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Software-Defined Satellite Network 1 1.2 Wireless SDN Control Link Problem Statement 4 1.3 Contributions and Overview of Theses 5 1.4 Related Works 6 2. MODELING AND FORMULATION 8 2.1 Control Link Association 8 2.1.1 Graph Model 8 2.1.2 ARQ and Split TCP 9 2.1.3 Link Association Variable 10 2.2 Control Link Reliability and Expected Latency Formulation 12 2.2.1 Control Link Reliability and Gateway Power 12 2.2.2 Expected Latency Formulation 13 2.3 SDN Control Link Problem 16 2.3.1 Expected Latency Minimization Problem 16 2.3.2 Power-Efficient SDN Control Link Problem 17 3. SDN CONTROL LINK ALGORITHM 22 4. NUMERICAL RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 25 4.1 Latency Analysis and Feasibility of the Software-Defined Satellite Network 27 4.2 Sensitivity Analysis and Selection of the Maximum Total Power 33 5. CONCLUSION 37 APPENDIX 38 REFERENCES 40저궤도(LEO) 위성 네트워크는 데이터 전달 장치를 간소화하고 서비스 다양성을 향상시키는 등, 소프트웨어 정의 네트워킹(SDN)로부터 다양한 이점을 얻을 수 있다. 그러나 SDN을 위성 네트워크에 적용하기 위해서는, 신뢰성 있는 SDN 제어 링크가 위성 게이트웨이로부터 위성까지 연결되어야 하며, 위성 네트워크의 무선 특성과 이동성이 동시에 고려되어야 한다. 이러한 특성들은 제어 링크 연결과 게이트웨이 전력 할당 모두에 영향을 미치기 때문에, 우리는 이러한 교차 계층 문제를 SDN 제어 링크 문제로 새롭게 정의한다. 이 문제는 전송 계층의 자동 재전송 요구(ARQ) 및 전송 제어 프로토콜(TCP), 네트워크 계층의 라우팅, 물리 계층의 전력 할당과 같은 다중 계층의 관점에서 논의된다. 본 논문에서는 제어 링크 설정에 필요한 게이트웨이 전력 효율을 높이기 위해 최대 총 전력을 제한하는 중앙집권화 SDN 제어 프레임워크를 도입한다. 제안된 문제에 대한 전력 할당 분석을 기반으로, 전력 소비가 적으면서도 지연이 적은 제어 링크를 연결하는 전력 효율적인 제어 링크 알고리즘이 제안된다. 제안된 제어 링크 알고리즘의 민감도 분석과 함께, 시뮬레이션 결과는 알고리즘에 의해 설정되는 제어 링크의 낮은 지연과 높은 신뢰성을 보여주며, 궁극적으로 소프트웨어 정의 LEO 위성 네트워크의 기술적 및 경제적 타당성을 제시한다.MasterdCollectio

Location Management in IP-based Future LEO Satellite Networks: A Review

Future integrated terrestrial, aerial, and space networks will involve thousands of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites forming a network of mega-constellations, which will play a significant role in providing communication and Internet services everywhere, at any time, and for everything. Due to its very large scale and highly dynamic nature, future LEO satellite networks (SatNets) management is a very complicated and crucial process, especially the mobility management aspect and its two components location management and handover management. In this article, we present a comprehensive and critical review of the state-of-the-art research in LEO SatNets location management. First, we give an overview of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) mobility management standards (e.g., Mobile IPv6 and Proxy Mobile IPv6) and discuss their location management techniques limitations in the environment of future LEO SatNets. We highlight future LEO SatNets mobility characteristics and their challenging features and describe two unprecedented future location management scenarios. A taxonomy of the available location management solutions for LEO SatNets is presented, where the solutions are classified into three approaches. The "Issues to consider" section draws attention to critical points related to each of the reviewed approaches that should be considered in future LEO SatNets location management. To identify the gaps, the current state of LEO SatNets location management is summarized. Noteworthy future research directions are recommended. This article is providing a road map for researchers and industry to shape the future of LEO SatNets location management.Comment: Submitted to the Proceedings of the IEE

Cross Layer Optimization of Wireless Control Links in the Software-Defined LEO Satellite Network

The low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network can benefit from software-defined networking (SDN) by lightening forwarding devices and improving service diversity. In order to apply SDN into the network, however, reliable SDN control links should be associated from satellite gateways to satellites, with the wireless and mobile properties of the network taken into account. Since these characteristics affect both control link association and gateway power allocation, we define a new cross layer SDN control link problem. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to explore the cross layer control link problem for the software-defined satellite network. A logically centralized SDN control framework constrained by maximum total power is introduced to enhance gateway power efficiency for control link setup. Based on the power control analysis of the problem, a power-efficient control link algorithm is developed, which establishes low latency control links with reduced power consumption. Along with the sensitivity analysis of the proposed control link algorithm, numerical results demonstrate low latency and high reliability of control links established by the algorithm, ultimately suggesting the feasibility, both technical and economical, of the software-defined LEO satellite network. © 2019 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.1

Advanced SDN-Based QoS and Security Solutions for Heterogeneous Networks

This thesis tries to study how SDN can be employed in order to support Quality of Service and how the support of this functionality is fundamental for today networks. Considering, not only the present networks, but also the next generation ones, the importance of the SDN paradigm become manifest as the use of satellite networks, which can be useful considering their broadcasting capabilities. For these reasons, this research focuses its attention on satellite - terrestrial networks and in particular on the use of SDN inside this environment. An important fact to be taken into account is that the growing of the information technologies has pave the way for new possible threats. This research study tries to cover also this problem considering how SDN can be employed for the detection of past and future malware inside networks

Link failure testing project on a satellite SDN network using Bidirectional Forwarding Detection

This project focuses on implementing a variable grid topology network for simulating an inter-satellite links connection to evaluate link failure detection times in a satellite SoftwareDefined Networking (SDN) using the Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) protocol (RFC 5880). Today, there is significant growth and deployment of LEO satellite networks, and SDN technology is being successfully used in these LEO satellite constellation networks due to the flexibility that this technology offers in the face of dynamic variation in topology network, limited bandwidth and traffic variations. An important point for the correct operation of these networks is the reliability and stability of the links that interconnect the satellites of the constellation, since this constellation is in permanent motion, orbiting the earth. The work developed in this project is directly related to this topic and the BFD detection protocol has been used to determine the connectivity failures of the test network links. The BFD is a protocol which provides fast forwarding path failure detection times and it is independent from physical media, routing protocols and data protocols. The BFD protocol works in the forwarding plane and is well suited for use with SDN switches. The testbed has been built using the "ContainerNet" Python API to implement the network topology and link interconnection of each satellite node. The satellite switching service is implemented in a docker instance, using OpenVirtualSwitch (OVS) as the internal packet switch of each node. OpenVirtualSwitch is an SDN-compliant programmable switching network device that has support for the BFD protocol. A transmission scenario is built on this switching network. This scenario includes two nodes that work as communication endpoints. The nodes have been configured so that between the endpoints there are two separate alternative paths. In addition to the datapath configuration, the BFD protocol has been configured to monitor the status of each link. A software developed running in all intermediate nodes are able to notify a link failure upstream of the datapath until the end nodes. An then end nodes can switch to another path. The final results must determine which are the BFD parameters to achieve a compromise between the BFD packet signaling period and the bandwidth used to keep the VoIP communication parameters within the acceptable limits in the event of a link failure with a route update