Quantifying the Scalability of Software Defined Networks with Dynamic Topology
Venkatesh Ramaswamy · 2017
Centralized architecture is often cited as the major reason for scalability issues related to Software Defined Networks(SDNs). In this paper, we study the scalability of SDNs with centralized control and dynamic topology. We first propose a metric for scalability that captures issues associated with frequent link and topology changes. We then develop a model to quantify the scalability in terms of the maximum number of SDN switches that can be controlled by a single SDN controller while maintaining a certain quality of service parameters when the link dynamics are known. Finally, using the model, we present some numerical examples that provide insights into the traffic engineering aspects of SDNs.