Microcontroller based platform management system and FPGA accelerator for SDN switches

Abstract

OpenFlow based SDN, is currently implemented in various networking devices and software, providing high-performance and granular traffic control across multiple vendors network devices. OpenFlow, as the first standard interface designed specifically for SDN, has gained popularity with both academic researchers and industry, as a framework for both networking research and implementation. OpenFlow technology separates the Control Plane from the Data Path and this allows the network managers to develop their own algorithms to control data flows and packets. Several vendors have already added OpenFlow to their features such as HP Labs, Cisco researchers, NEC, etc. Currently, OpenFlow Switch is already implemented on several different platforms e.g., in software (Linux, Open-WRT) and hardware (NetFPGA). More and more researchers are implementing the switch on FPGA-based platform, because it is flexible, fast and reprogrammable. However, there are a limited number of studies about the performance of the OpenFlow switch, which motivates this project. In order to execute the research on OpenFlow performance, the simulation model of OpenFlow system is implemented in this project. The main objective of this project has two aspects. On one hand, it is meant to implement OpenFlow system (switch and controller) using a hardware language on FPGA-based platform. On the other hand, it is also focuses on the measurement of different performance metrics of the OpenFlow switch, especially the service time (switch and controller). More specifically, both the data plane and control plane are to be implemented on FPGA-based platform. It is designed in VHDL language by VIVADO design tools. FPGA-platform is ZYNQ 7000 SOC(Zedboard) type from Xilinx. It is observed from the results that the service time and the sojourn time both have almost linear increase with the increase in payload size. Commercially available traditional hardware management system is made for a particular switch system and its hardware is marked for a particular defined task. But the Programmable Hardware Management System that has been developed as a part of this work is more flexible, sophisticated and easily reconfigurable. In this paper, the features and system description of the developed system has been described which is more advantageous than traditional commercially available switches. This system management platform can be fitted, reconfigured and reprogrammed universally in any type of system.