A Queue Monitoring System in OpenFlow Software Defined Networks

Abstract

Real-time trafic characteristic is different and it is very sensitive to delay. To meet trafic specifications in real time, monitoring systems are used as an important part of networking. Many monitoring systems are deployed to have an update view of the network QoS parameters and performance. Most of these systems are implemented to measure QoS parameters in links. Here, in this paper, a system for monitoring queues in each link by means of Software Defined Networks is proposed. The monitoring system is implemented by extending Floodlight controller, which uses OpenFlow as southbound protocol. The controller has a centralized view of the network. By the help of OpenFlow it also can provide flow level statistics. Using these advantages, the proposed system can monitor delay and available bandwidth of a queue on a link or path. Despite of monitoring systems in traditional networks, the proposed monitoring system makes a low overhead in network thanks to OpenFlow protocol messages. It is also integrated into the network controller, which enables QoS and trafic engineering applications to use the system's reports for automatic trafic management and QoS setup. The experimental results show a 99% accuracy of the proposed system for monitoring of both bandwidth and delay.