Develop a Switch Learning Module on Floodlight Controller in Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Abstract

In traditional existing networks, conducting real-world experiments on large scale production networks presents significant challenges. These networks have remained relatively unchanged for years, with slow advancements in innovation. Traditional networks rely heavily on vendor specific software and operate as closed systems. This “inside the box” approach has limited the flexibility and scalability of the network, leading to the proposal of a new network architecture.

Software defined Networking (SDN) represents a transformative paradigm designed to enhance network management by enabling centralized, flexible, and programmable control of the network. The fundamental principle is the separation of the control plane from the data plane which includes the underlying network infrastructure.

This thesis project aimed to develop a software defined networking application using the Floodlight controller as a main controller to implement flow rules on Open vSwitch (OVS). The focus is on achieving connectivity between hosts at the layer 2 (data link layer) of the network. Additionally, the thesis aims to gain knowledge with SDN technology by studying its architecture, components, and underlying functionality, and taking the initial step of setting up the environment and developing an SDN module that operates on top of the controller. The application development platform includes VMware running Ubuntu Linux, with Eclipse IDE used for building the SDN application in Java on top of the Floodlight controller, and Mininet acting as an emulator for the networking infrastructure.

The primary aim of this project was achieved, establishing connectivity at the data link layer.