Timed Consistent Network Updates

TL;DR

This paper introduces a time-triggered approach for consistent network updates in SDN, reducing overhead and enhancing scalability while maintaining update consistency.

Contribution

It proposes a novel time-based method for network updates that improves scalability and control over consistency versus overhead tradeoffs in SDN.

Findings

Time-triggered updates require less overhead than existing methods.

Accurate timing enables more scalable SDN updates.

Provides fine-grained control over consistency and scalability tradeoffs.

Abstract

Network updates such as policy and routing changes occur frequently in Software Defined Networks (SDN). Updates should be performed consistently, preventing temporary disruptions, and should require as little overhead as possible. Scalability is increasingly becoming an essential requirement in SDN. In this paper we propose to use time-triggered network updates to achieve consistent updates. Our proposed solution requires lower overhead than existing update approaches, without compromising the consistency during the update. We demonstrate that accurate time enables far more scalable consistent updates in SDN than previously available. In addition, it provides the SDN programmer with fine-grained control over the tradeoff between consistency and scalability.