Analysing the performance of the OpenFlow standard for software-defined networking using the OMNeT++ network simulator

Software-defined networking (SDN) is a relatively advanced method for implementing communication networks. SDN separates the decision maker, called the control plane, which decides where packets are sent, from the underlying infrastructure, called the data plane, which forwards packets to the decided destination. A newly emerging standard for SDN is the OpenFlow standard, which includes a standardized protocol for communications between the control plane and the data plane. This study analyses the extent to which the location of OpenFlow controllers affect the performance of an OpenFlow network. The analysis is undertaken using the OMNeT++ INET Framework discrete events network simulator. By analyzing key network metrics including round-trip-time (RTT) and data transfer rate (DTR), the results indicate the location of the controller has a demonstrable affect the performance of the network.