Network Architecture Design And Implementation using Software Defined Network-Final Year Project Report 

Abstract

The project entitled “Network architecture design and implementation using software defined network” focuses on designing network architecture that implements Software Defined Networking (SDN) to overcome the defects in legacy networks and to minimize network overheads. SDN provides a coordinated virtual infrastructure enabling applications and the network to collaborate a high quality user experience and optimized resource consumption.

The ideas brought by SDN, although often described as a “revolutionary paradigm shift” in networking, are not completely new since they have their foundations in programmable networks and control-data plane separation projects. SDN promises simplified network management by enabling network automation, fostering innovation through programmability, and reducing costs for networking. This project makes use of the virtual network emulator, Mininet to depict a typical OpenFlow network that uses a controller to handle the flow of data packets between hosts in the network.

This project seeks to identify whether it is beneficial for enterprise networks to move to a centralized OpenFlow switching environment as opposed to a distributed switching network that is currently used by all networks. Therefore this project describes the role of SDN to create a common standard for controlling and managing different networking devices which operate on different standards based on the brands that manufacture them, thereby avoiding the limitations of the network devices of various manufacturing companies and their respective hardware constraints.