Implementation of a Virtual Switch Monitor System Using OpenFlow on Cloud

Abstract

As a next generation networking protocol, the OpenFlow mechanism speeds up network performance by separating the control plane and the data plane. It can be implemented for QoS functions: users in need of network resources or with higher priority defined by the system are allotted with ample resources. In addition to the communication protocol, another two elements are needed to implement a complete OpenFlow system: the switch, either being physical or virtual, which supports OpenFlow, and the controller, which sends flow setting packets to control the switch flow table. With OpenFlow, users are not restricted to functions provided by the specific switch or router, such as RIP, OSPF, EGP routing protocol, firewall, QoS, Anti Virus, and NAT, since it provides a standard Application Programming Interface to let users have the freedom to define their needed functions instead of predefined functions bundled in the manufacturer's proprietary operating system. The main goal of this paper is to create an OpenFlow switch monitoring system, which can monitor all hosts and traffic pass through switches under the controller, and provide a simple web page by which the network administrator can modify the priority of each flow and manage the whole network with ease.