SDN INSEM PREPATION NOTES

Q1) Explain SDN architecture with neat diagram. (7 marks)

Software Defined Networking (SDN) separates network control logic from forwarding
hardware, enabling centralized, programmable network management. This architecture
consists of three distinct layers:

1. Application Layer (Northbound):

 Network applications and services

 Examples: Firewall, Load Balancer, Monitoring Tools

 Communicate via REST APIs with controller

2. Control Layer (SDN Controller):

 Centralized software controller

 Makes global forwarding decisions

 Manages network policies

 Examples: OpenDaylight, ONOS, Floodlight

3. Infrastructure Layer (Southbound):

 Network forwarding devices

 Switches, routers, access points

 Follow flow rules from controller

Key Interfaces:

 Northbound API: Controller to Applications (REST)

 Southbound API: Controller to Devices (OpenFlow)

SDN Architecture Diagram:

How It Works:

1. Applications request services via Northbound API

2. Controller computes optimal paths

3. Controller installs flow rules via OpenFlow

4. Devices forward packets based on flow tables

Benefits:

 Centralized management

 Programmable network behavior

 Vendor independence

 Faster innovation

Q2) Explain Centralized and Distributed Control and Data Planes. (7 marks)

Control Plane vs Data Plane:

 Control Plane: Makes decisions (routing, policies)

 Data Plane: Forwards traffic (packet switching)

1. Centralized Control Plane:

 Single controller makes all decisions

 Global network view

 Consistent policy enforcement

 Advantage: Simplified management

 Disadvantage: Single point of failure

 Example: Basic SDN architecture

2. Distributed Control Plane:

 Decisions made by multiple devices

 Uses routing protocols (OSPF, BGP)

 Advantage: Scalability, fault tolerance

 Disadvantage: Complex coordination

 Example: Traditional networks

Data Plane (Always Distributed):

 Forwarding happens locally in each device

 Fast packet processing

 Based on local forwarding tables

Comparison:

Aspect Centralized Control Distributed Control

Decision Making Single controller Multiple devices

Network View Global Local

Scalability Limited High

Fault Tolerance Low High

Management Simple Complex

Q3) SDN vs Traditional Network (Comparison)

Feature Traditional Network Software Defined Network

(SDN)

Architecture Control plane and data plane are Control plane separated from
inside the same device data plane

Network Distributed across routers and Centralized in SDN controller

Intelligence switches

Configuration Manual configuration on each device Programmatically controlled

Flexibility Low flexibility Highly flexible and

programmable

Management Device-by-device management Centralized network

management

Scalability Difficult to scale Easily scalable

Innovation Slow innovation due to hardware Fast innovation using software

dependency

Example Traditional routers, switches OpenFlow based SDN

networks

Key Points (Write in Exam)

 Traditional networks combine control plane and data plane inside devices.

 SDN separates control plane from forwarding devices.

 SDN uses centralized controller to manage the network.

 Network behavior can be programmed using software.

 SDN improves automation, scalability, and flexibility.

Q4) Benefits / Advantages of SDN

1. Centralized Control

 Network intelligence located in SDN Controller.

 Provides global view of the network.

2. Programmability
  Network can be controlled using software APIs.

 Easy to implement new policies and services.

3. Automation

 Reduces manual configuration of devices.

 Network management becomes automatic and faster.

4. Flexibility

 Easy to modify network behavior dynamically.

 Supports new applications and services quickly.

5. Improved Network Management

 Centralized monitoring and troubleshooting.

 Simplifies configuration and maintenance.

6. Cost Reduction

 Uses commodity hardware switches.

 Reduces dependency on expensive proprietary devices.

7. Faster Innovation

 Developers can create network applications.

 New features implemented without changing hardware.

Short Conclusion

SDN improves network control, flexibility, automation and cost efficiency compared to
traditional networks.

Q5) Traditional Network Challenges

Traditional networking faces several limitations due to tight coupling of control and data
planes.

1. Complex Network Management

 Each device configured manually.

 Managing large networks becomes difficult.

2. Lack of Flexibility

 Hard to modify network behavior.

  Changes require device reconfiguration.

3. Vendor Dependency

 Hardware devices depend on specific vendors.

 Limits interoperability.

4. Slow Innovation

 New features require hardware upgrades.

 Deployment takes long time.

5. Limited Network Visibility

 Network administrators cannot easily view the entire network state.

6. Scalability Issues

 Difficult to expand networks efficiently.

7. High Operational Cost

 Requires skilled administrators and expensive hardware.

Conclusion

Traditional networks are complex, costly and difficult to manage, which led to the
development of SDN architecture.

Q6) Explain SDN controller with neat diagram. (7 marks)

The SDN Controller is the central intelligence in SDN architecture, managing network
devices and implementing policies.

Key Functions:

1. Topology Discovery: Learns network structure

2. Path Computation: Calculates optimal routes

3. Flow Management: Installs flow rules

4. Statistics Collection: Monitors network performance

5. Policy Enforcement: Applies security/QoS policies

Controller Components:
Popular Controllers:

 OpenDaylight: Modular, Java-based

 ONOS: Carrier-grade, distributed

 Floodlight: Simple, OpenFlow-focused

 RYU: Python-based, developer-friendly

Controller Operation:

1. Discovers network devices via LLDP

2. Builds network topology map

3. Receives application requirements

4. Computes and installs flow rules

5. Monitors network status

Benefits:

 Single point of management

 Global network visibility

 Automated configuration

 Rapid service deployment

Q7) Explain various OpenFlow Message Types. (7 marks)

OpenFlow messages enable communication between controller and switches. Three main
categories:

1. Controller-to-Switch Messages:

 Features Request/Reply: Query switch capabilities

 Flow Mod: Add/modify/delete flow entries

 Packet Out: Send packets from controller

 Stats Request/Reply: Collect statistics

 Barrier Request/Reply: Synchronization

2. Asynchronous Messages (Switch → Controller):

 Packet In: Send unknown packets to controller

 Flow Removed: Notify flow timeout/deletion

 Port Status: Report port changes

 Error: Report errors

3. Symmetric Messages (Both directions):

 Hello: Initial connection/version negotiation

 Echo Request/Reply: Keep-alive, latency check

Key Messages Details:

Flow Mod Message: Installs flow rules

 Command: ADD, MODIFY, DELETE

 Match fields, instructions, timeouts

 Priority for rule ordering

Packet In Message: Sends packets to controller

 Trigger: No match, explicit action, TTL expired

 Contains packet data (may be truncated)

 Includes match fields

Stats Messages: Collect various statistics

 Flow stats (per flow entry)

  Port stats (per interface)

 Table stats (per flow table)

 Aggregate stats

Message Format:-

Importance:

 Enables programmable forwarding

 Provides network visibility

 Supports dynamic configuration

 Facilitates centralized control

Q8) Explain SDN Interfaces with neat diagram. (7 marks)

SDN interfaces define communication between different SDN layers.

1. Northbound Interface (NBI):

 Between: Applications and Controller

 Protocols: REST APIs (most common)

 Purpose: Applications request network services

  Examples:

o Load balancer requests bandwidth

o Firewall defines security policies

o Monitoring app queries statistics

2. Southbound Interface (SBI):

 Between: Controller and Network Devices

 Protocols: OpenFlow (standard), NETCONF

 Purpose: Controller programs forwarding devices

 Functions:

o Install flow rules

o Collect device statistics

o Configure port settings

3. East-West Interface:

 Between: Multiple Controllers

 Purpose: Coordination in distributed control

 Functions: State synchronization, load balancing

SDN Interfaces Diagram:

Key Protocols:

OpenFlow (Southbound):
  Standard protocol for SDN

 Defines switch-controller communication

 Supports flow table programming

 Enables vendor interoperability

REST APIs (Northbound):

 HTTP-based interface

 JSON/XML data formats

 Stateless, scalable

 Easy integration with applications

Benefits of Standardized Interfaces:

 Vendor independence

 Multi-vendor interoperability

 Rapid innovation

 Simplified integration

Q9) Explain physical ports, logical ports and reserved ports in OpenFlow switches. (7
marks)

OpenFlow switches use three port types for packet handling:

1. Physical Ports:

 Actual hardware interfaces

 Ethernet ports, optical interfaces

 Identified by port numbers

 Properties: Speed, duplex, state (up/down)

 Example: Port 1 (eth0), Port 2 (eth1)

2. Logical Ports:

 Software-defined interfaces

 Don't correspond to physical hardware

 Types:
 o Tunnel ports (GRE, VxLAN)

o Link aggregates (LAG groups)

o Virtual interfaces

 Purpose: Enable network virtualization

 Example: VxLAN tunnel endpoint

3. Reserved Ports (Special Ports):

Predefined for specific functions:

Port Value Purpose

OFPP_IN_PORT 0xfffffff8 Return to ingress port

OFPP_NORMAL 0xfffffffa Use normal L2/L3 pipeline

OFPP_FLOOD 0xfffffffb Flood on all ports

OFPP_CONTROLLER 0xfffffffd Send to controller

OFPP_LOCAL 0xfffffffe Switch management port

OFPP_ANY 0xffffffff Wildcard port

Port Hierarchy:

OpenFlow Ports

├── Physical Ports (Hardware interfaces)

├── Logical Ports (Software interfaces)

└── Reserved Ports (Special functions)

Importance:

 Enable flexible forwarding

 Support network virtualization

 Provide standard control mechanisms

 Facilitate traffic engineering

Q10) Explain Flow tables with neat diagram. (7 marks)

Flow Table Diagram:

Definition

Flow Tables are forwarding databases in OpenFlow switches that contain rules used to
match packets and decide forwarding actions.

They control how packets are processed, forwarded, modified, or dropped in the network.

1. Flow Table Structure

Each flow table entry contains the following components:

 Match Fields – Packet header fields used for matching.

 Priority – Determines rule precedence (higher priority executed first).

 Counters – Collect statistics like number of packets and bytes.

 Instructions – Actions the switch should perform.

 Timeouts – Time limits for flow entries (Idle timeout / Hard timeout).

2. Match Fields
Used to identify packets based on header information such as:

 Ingress port number

 Ethernet source/destination address

 IP source/destination address

 Protocol type (TCP/UDP)

 TCP/UDP port numbers

 VLAN tags and metadata

3. Instructions and Actions

Instructions (What to do)

 Apply-Actions – Execute actions immediately

 Write-Actions – Add actions for later execution

 Goto-Table – Forward packet to another flow table

 Write-Metadata – Store information for pipeline processing

Actions (How to perform)

 Output – Forward packet to a specific port

 Set-Field – Modify packet header fields

 Push/Pop VLAN – Add or remove VLAN tags

 Group Action – Forward packet using group table

4. Table Pipeline Processing

Packets are processed sequentially through tables.

Flow:

Packet → Table 0 → Match Rule → Execute Instructions

If no match occurs, the packet follows the table-miss rule.

5. Table-Miss Entry

 Has lowest priority (0)

  Defines default behavior

 Common actions:

o Drop the packet

o Send packet to SDN controller

6. Multiple Flow Tables

OpenFlow switches may contain multiple tables for efficient processing.

Example:

 Table 0 – Access control rules

 Table 1 – Routing decisions

 Table 2 – Quality of Service (QoS)

 Final Table – Packet forwarding

Advantages

 Programmable packet forwarding

 Fine-grained traffic control

 Detailed traffic statistics

 Dynamic rule updates from controller

Q11) Steps to Optimize Use of Multiple Flow Tables

OpenFlow switches can contain multiple flow tables to improve packet processing efficiency.

Step 1: Packet Entry

 Packet enters the first flow table (Table 0).

 Switch checks for matching rule.

Step 2: Flow Matching

 Packet header fields compared with flow entries.

 Example: IP address, port number.

Step 3: Apply Instructions

If match found, switch performs actions such as:

 Forward packet

 Drop packet

 Modify header

 Send to controller

Step 4: Table Pipeline Processing

 Packet may be forwarded to next flow table.

 This creates pipeline processing.

Step 5: Efficient Rule Organization

Rules are divided into tables such as:

 Routing rules

 Access control rules

 QoS policies

Step 6: Reduced Rule Complexity

Using multiple tables reduces:

 Redundant entries

 Processing overhead

Step 7: Final Action Execution

Packet exits switch after executing final action.

Advantages

 Improves switch performance

 Reduces flow table size

 Supports modular rule processing

Q12) OpenFlow Protocol for Separation of Control Plane and Data Plane

Definition

OpenFlow is a communication protocol that allows SDN controller to interact with network
switches.
It enables separation of control plane and data plane.

Control Plane

 Located in SDN Controller.

 Responsible for:

o Network decision making

o Policy enforcement

o Routing decisions

Data Plane

 Located in OpenFlow Switch.

 Responsible for:

o Packet forwarding

o Flow rule execution

Working of OpenFlow

1. Packet arrives at switch.

2. Switch checks flow table entries.

3. If match found → packet forwarded.

4. If no match → packet sent to controller.

5. Controller installs new flow rule.

6. Switch forwards packet according to rule.

Advantages

 Enables centralized network control

 Improves network programmability

 Supports dynamic traffic management

 Simplifies network configuration

Q13) Data Plane Protocols (Communication with Network Devices)

Data plane protocols allow communication between controller and forwarding devices.

1. OpenFlow

 Most widely used southbound protocol.

 Allows controller to control switch flow tables.

2. NETCONF

 Protocol for network configuration management.

 Uses XML encoding.

3. OVSDB (Open vSwitch Database)

 Used for managing Open vSwitch configuration.

 Controls virtual switches.

4. P4 Runtime

 Used in programmable data plane devices.

 Supports flexible packet processing.

5. BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

 Used in SDN for routing communication between networks.

Functions of Data Plane Protocols

 Install flow rules

 Monitor network traffic

 Configure switches

 Collect network statistics

 Manage forwarding behavior

Conclusion

Data plane protocols enable communication between SDN controller and network devices,
ensuring efficient packet forwarding and network management.