Description of network research enablers on the example of OpenFlow

Abstract

This chapter describes OpenFlow, a specification developed by a research group at Stanford University that is proposed to be implemented by commercial switches and routers and would allow remote control of their forwarding behavior. It is aimed at providing researchers with an inexpensive and flexible platform to experiment with new network protocols on production-scale traffic. OpenFlow is further compared to two other projects that aim to enable network research, but differ totally in approach: the PlanetLab and the eXtensible Open Router Project (XORP). Finally, the NOX network operating system is described as an example for a project using OpenFlow's successful network hardware abstraction concept to implement a larger network management system. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.