An Adaptive State Consistency Architecture for Distributed Software-Defined Network Controllers: An Evaluation and Design Consideration

Abstract

The Physically Distributed Logically Centralized (PDLC) software-defined network (SDN) control plane is physically dispersed across several controllers with a global network view for performance, scalability, and fault tolerance. This design, providing control applications with a global network view, necessitates network state synchronization among controllers. The amount of inter-controller synchronization can affect the performance and scalability of the system. The absence of standardized communication protocols for East-bound SDN interfaces underscores the need for high-performance communication among diverse SDN controllers to maintain consistent state exchange. An inconsistent controller’s network view can significantly impact network effectiveness and application performance, particularly in dynamic networks. This survey paper offers an overview of noteworthy AI and non-AI solutions for PDLC SDN architecture in industry and academia, specifically focusing on their approaches to consistency and synchronization challenges. The suggested PDLC framework achieves an adaptive controller-to-controller synchronization rate in a dynamic network environment.