Improving the Performance of the Ryu SDN Controller Through Multi-Threading
Mamadou Ba, Thierry Kondengar, Alie Ndiaye, Ibrahima Ngom, Oumane Doumbia, Samuel Ouya · 2024
Software-Defined Networks (SDN) fundamentally transform traditional network architecture. However, the performance of SDN controllers, particularly in their single-threaded implementations like Ryu, poses a major challenge for large-scale environments. This paper proposes an innovative multi-threaded architecture to enhance the performance of the Ryu controller. Our approach enables efficient parallel management of network events without requiring major changes to the source code. Experimental tests conducted with the Cbench tool demonstrate significant performance improvements, with a 174% increase in throughput (from 2112.30 to 5791.66 flows per second) and a notable reduction in latency. This solution addresses the growing demands of modern network infrastructures while maintaining compatibility with existing applications.