Analysis of P4 and XDP for IoT programmability in 6G and beyond

Recently, two technologies have emerged to provide advanced programmability in Software-Defined Networking (SDN) environments, namely P4 and XDP. At the same time, the Internet of Things (IoT) represents a pillar of future 6G networks, which will be also sustained by SDN. In this regard, there is a need to analyze the suitability of P4 and XDP for IoT. In this article, we aim to compare both technologies to help future research efforts in the field. To this purpose, we evaluate both technologies by implementing diverse use cases, assessing their performance and providing a quick qualitative overview. All tests and designed scenarios are publicly available in GitHub to guarantee replication and serve as initial steps for researchers that want to initiate in the field. Results illustrate that currently XDP is the best option for constrained IoT devices, showing lower latency times, half of CPU usage, and reduced memory in comparison with P4. However, development of P4 programs is more straightforward and the amount of code lines is more similar regardless of the scenario. Additionally, P4 has a lot of potential in IoT if a special effort is made to improve the most common software target, BMv2.Comunidad de MadridJunta de Comunidades de Castilla-La ManchaUniversidad de Alcal

A Comprehensive Survey of In-Band Control in SDN: Challenges and Opportunities

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a thriving networking architecture that has gained popularity in recent years, particularly as an enabling technology to foster paradigms like edge computing. SDN separates the control and data planes, which are later on synchronised via a control protocol such as OpenFlow. In-band control is a type of SDN control plane deployment in which the control and data planes share the same physical network. It poses several challenges, such as security vulnerabilities, network congestion, or data loss. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, in-band control also presents significant opportunities, including improved network flexibility and programmability, reduced costs, and increased reliability. Benefiting from the previous advantages, diverse in-band control designs exist in the literature, with the objective of improving the operation of SDN networks. This paper surveys the different approaches that have been proposed so far towards the advance in in-band SDN control, based on four main categories: automatic routing, fast failure recovery, network bootstrapping, and distributed control. Across these categories, detailed summary tables and comparisons are presented, followed by a discussion on current trends a challenges in the field. Our conclusion is that the use of in-band control in SDN networks is expected to drive innovation and growth in the networking industry, but efforts for holistic and full-fledged proposals are still needed

Diseño e implementación de protocolo de control escalable en redes IoT para entornos 6G

En este Trabajo Fin de Máster (TFM) se presenta el diseño e implementación de un pro tocolo de control escalable de redes Internet of Things (IoT) para entornos Software-Defined Networking (SDN) en la nueva generación de redes móviles, la Sexta Generación de redes móviles (6G). Dicho protocolo de control seguirá un paradigma de control de tipo in-band, con el cual se dotará de conectividad a los nodos de la red con el ente de control, empleando el plano de datos para la transmisión de información de control. En aras de completar el proyecto, se ha partido del análisis de las necesidades y caracteris ticas de las distintas tecnologías que se emplearán en ejecución de los objetivos predefinidos y así discernir aquellas herramientas necesarias para la implementación del protocolo con trol. Una vez seleccionadas las herramientas, se han estudiado a fondo para realizar una implementación optimizada en la medida de lo posible. Este proyecto ha concluido con la validación mediante emulación del protocolo desarrollado para comprobar el correcto fun cionamiento del mismo en distintos casos de uso.In this Master’s Thesis (TFM) we present the design and implementation of a scala ble control protocol for Internet of Things (IoT) networks in Software-Defined Networking (SDN) environments in the new generation of mobile networks, the sixth generation of mo bile technologies (6G). This control protocol will be based on an in-band control paradigm, which will provide connectivity between the network nodes and the control entity, using the data plane for the transmission of control information. To accomplish the project, we first analyse the requirements and characteristics of the dif ferent technologies that will be used in the execution of the predefined objectives and, accordingly, we determine the tools necessary for the implementation of the control proto col. Once the tools have been selected, they will be studied in depth in order to carry out an optimised implementation as far as possible. This project concludes with the validation the developed protocol by means of emulation to check its correct operation in different use cases.Máster Universitario en Ingeniería de Telecomunicación (M125