Examining the Quality Metrics of a Communication Network with Distributed Software-Defined Networking Architecture

Software-Defined Networking (SDN), with segregated data and control planes, provides faster data routing, stability, and enhanced quality metrics, such as throughput (T_h), maximum available bandwidth (B_d(max)), data transfer (D_Transfer), and reduction in end-to-end delay (D_(E-E)). This paper explores the critical work of deploying SDN in large­scale Data Center Networks (DCNs) to enhance its Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, using logically distributed control configurations. There is a noticeable increase in Delay_(E-E) when adopting SDN with a unified (single) control structure in big DCNs to handle Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests causing a reduction in network quality parameters (B_d(max), T_h, D_Transfer, D_(E-E), etc.). This article examines the network performance in terms of quality matrices (bandwidth, throughput, data transfer, etc.), by establishing a large–scale SDN-based virtual network in the Mininet environment. The SDN network is simulated in three stages: (1) An SDN network with unitary controller-POX to manage the data traffic flow of the network without the server load management algorithm. (2) An SDN network with only one controller to manage the data traffic flow of the network with a server load management algorithm. (3) Deployment of SDN in proposed control arrangement (logically distributed controlled framework) with multiple controllers managing data traffic flow under the proposed Intelligent Sensing Server Load Management (ISSLM) algorithm. As a result of this approach, the network quality parameters in large-scale networks are enhanced.