Supporting end-to-end connectivity in federated networks using SDN

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Abstract

Federated networking is a promising approach to resource sharing that supports cost-effective services involving multiple parties. Research in this field largely focused on architectures and cost models, making limited progress on the technological side. On the other hand, the widely adopted Software-Defined Networking (SDN) model found its most successful application in data centers, exhibiting very little penetration in other scenarios. We leverage the unexplored potential of SDN on the edge of a network to introduce an approach that supports end-to-end connectivity among different federated partners. Our approach is based on simple Network Address and Port Translation (NAPT), making it applicable in standard IP networks. It is also very flexible, because it exploits SDN, and scalable, because address translations are performed on Customer Premises Equipment, where SDN is being progressively supported by device vendors. We define various alternative NAPT strategies and evaluate their effectiveness with simulations as well as emulated scenarios.