This article examines the architecture of software-defined networks (SDN) and its implications for the modern management of communications infrastructures. By decoupling the control plane from the data plane, SDN offers increased flexibility and programmability, enabling rapid adaptation to changing user requirements. However, this new approach poses significant challenges in terms of security, fault tolerance, and interoperability. This paper highlights these challenges and explores current strategies to ensure the resilience and reliability of SDN networks in the face of threats and failures. In addition, we analyze the future outlook for SDN and the importance of integrating robust security solutions into these infrastructures.
References
[1]
Greene, K. (2009) Software-Defined Networking: Nick McKeown Believes That Remotely Controlling Network Hardware with Software Can Bring the Internet up to Speed. TechnologyReview (Cambridge, Mass.).
[2]
Bruyere, M., et al. (2019) The Openflow Faucet Controller. JRES.
[3]
Kreutz, D., Ramos, F.M.V., Esteves Verissimo, P., Esteve Rothenberg, C., Azodolmolky, S. and Uhlig, S. (2015) Software-Defined Networking: A Comprehensive Survey. ProceedingsoftheIEEE, 103, 14-76. https://doi.org/10.1109/jproc.2014.2371999
[4]
Choukri, I., et al. (2019) Software Defined Networking (SDN): State of the Art. ConferenceonConnectedObjectsandSystems, Casablanca.
[5]
Shaghaghi, A., et al. (2018) Software-Defined Network (SDN) Data Plane Security: Issues, Solutions, and Future Directions. ClusterComputingJournal.
[6]
Ubale, T. and Jain, A.K. (2020) Survey on DDoS Attack Techniques and Solutions in Software-Defined Network. In: Gupta, B.B., et al., Eds., HandbookofComputerNetworksandCyberSecurity: Principles and Paradigms, Springer International Publishing, 389-419. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22277-2_15
[7]
Yan, Q., Yu, F.R., Gong, Q. and Li, J. (2016) Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks in Cloud Computing Environments: A Survey, Some Research Issues, and Challenges. IEEECommunicationsSurveys&Tutorials, 18, 602-622. https://doi.org/10.1109/comst.2015.2487361
[8]
Ubale, T. and Jain, A.K. (2018) Taxonomy of DDoS Attacks in Software-Defined Networking Environment. In: Singh, P.K., et al., Eds., Futuristic Trends in Network and Communication Technologies, Springer, 278-291. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3804-5_21
[9]
Open Networking Foundation (2015) Open Networking Specifications 1.5.1, Vol. 3.
[10]
Kandoi, R. and Antikainen, M. (2015) Denial-of-Service Attacks in OpenFlow SDN Networks. 2015 IFIP/IEEEInternationalSymposiumonIntegratedNetworkManagement (IM), Ottawa, 11-15 May 2015, 1322-1326. https://doi.org/10.1109/inm.2015.7140489
[11]
Yao, G., Bi, J. and Guo, L.Y. (2013) On the Cascading Failures of Multi-Controllers in Software Defined Networks. 2013 21stIEEEInternationalConferenceonNetworkProtocols (ICNP), Goettingen, 7-10 October 2013, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1109/icnp.2013.6733624
[12]
Singh, J. and Behal, S. (2020) Detection and Mitigation of DDoS Attacks in SDN: A Comprehensive Review, Research Challenges and Future Directions. ComputerScienceReview, 37, Article ID: 100279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosrev.2020.100279
[13]
Joëlle, M.M. and Park, Y. (2018) Strategies for Detecting and Mitigating DDoS Attacks in SDN: A Survey. JournalofIntelligent&FuzzySystems, 35, 5913-5925. https://doi.org/10.3233/jifs-169833
[14]
Petroulakis, N.E., Spanoudakis, G. and Askoxylakis, I.G. (2017). Fault Tolerance Using an SDN Pattern Framework. GLOBECOM 2017—2017 IEEE Global Communications Conference, Singapore, 4-8 December 2017, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/glocom.2017.8254082
[15]
Aly, W.H.F. (2019) Generic Controller Adaptive Load Balancing (GCALB) for SDN Networks. Journal of Computer Networks and Communications, 2019, Article ID: 6808693. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6808693
[16]
Radam, N.S., Al-Janabi, S. and Shaker, K. (2022) Optimisation Methods for the Controller Placement Problem in SDN: A Survey. Webology, 19, 3130-3149. https://doi.org/10.14704/web/v19i1/web19207
[17]
Ramya, G. and Manoharan, R. (2020) Enhanced Optimal Placements of Multi-Controllers in SDN. JournalofAmbientIntelligenceandHumanizedComputing, 12, 8187-8204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-020-02554-2
[18]
Singh, G.D., Tripathi, V., Dumka, A., Rathore, R.S., Bajaj, M., Escorcia-Gutierrez, J., et al. (2024) A Novel Framework for Capacitated SDN Controller Placement: Balancing Latency and Reliability with PSO Algorithm. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 87, 77-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2023.12.018
[19]
Lakhani, G. and Kothari, A. (2020) Fault Administration by Load Balancing in Distributed SDN Controller: A Review. WirelessPersonalCommunications, 114, 3507-3539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-020-07545-2
[20]
Al-Tam, F. (2019) Fault Administration by Load Balancing in Distributed SDN Controller: A Review. IEEE Access, Springer.
[21]
Narantuya, J., Yoon, S., Lim, H., Cho, J., Kim, D.S., Moore, T., et al. (2019) SDN-Based IP Shuffling Moving Target Defense with Multiple SDN Controllers. 2019 49thAnnual IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks—SupplementalVolume (DSN-S), Portland, 24-27 June 2019, 15-16. https://doi.org/10.1109/dsn-s.2019.00013
[22]
Sanoussi, N., Chetioui, K., Orhanou, G. and El Hajji, S. (2023) ITC: Intrusion Tolerant Controller for Multicontroller SDN Architecture. Computers&Security, 132, Article ID: 103351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2023.103351
[23]
Mbodila, M. (2022) Towards Fault Tolerance Management Systems in SDN. InternationalConferenceonIntelligentandInnovativeComputingApplications, Vol. 2022, 302-314. https://doi.org/10.59200/iconic.2022.033
[24]
Hsieh, H.-C., Chiang, M.-L. and Chang, T.-Y. (2021) Improving the Fault-Tolerance of Software-Defined Networks with Dynamic Overlay Agreement. ClusterComputing, 24, 2597-2614.
[25]
Bawany, N.Z., Shamsi, J.A. and Salah, K. (2017) DDoS Attack Detection and Mitigation Using SDN: Methods, Practices, and Solutions. ArabianJournalforScienceandEngineering, 42, 425-441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-017-2414-5
[26]
Yamansavascilar, B., Baktir, A.C., Ozgovde, A. and Ersoy, C. (2020) Fault Tolerance in SDN Data Plane Considering Network and Application Based Metrics. JournalofNetworkandComputerApplications, 170, Article ID: 102780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2020.102780
[27]
Kreutz, D., Ramos, F.M.V. and Verissimo, P. (2013) Towards Secure and Dependable Software-Defined Networks. Proceedingsofthe 2nd ACMSIGCOMM Workshop onHot Topics in Software Defined Networking, Hong Kong, 16 August 2013, 55-60. https://doi.org/10.1145/2491185.2491199
[28]
Dover, J. (2013) A Denial of Service Attack against the Open Floodlight SDN Controller. No. Tech. Rep., Dover Networks.