Feasibility study of expansion of OpenFlow network using satellite communication to wide area

Abstract

The dependable network is needed to enable constantly communication ways since recent disaster such as the Great East Japan Earthquake. To ensure communications, satellite communications have been utilized. However, satellite communications have low throughput which is 60–2000 kbit/s and large time delay which is estimated as almost 240 ms in one way in the case of a stationary satellite. On the other hand, Software Defined Network (SDN) is garnering attention for flexible network building and network faults detection. OpenFlow is one of the realizing ways for SDN, and OpenFlow system is composed of the controller and the switch. The fusion network which is composed of satellite communications and SDN is expected for the wide-area dependable network. In particular, OpenFlow channels for network management are essential, and the deployment of satellite communications on OpenFlow channels is effective to ensure communications. The network scale of OpenFlow network on satellite communications is evaluated using the Flow-mod message which is essential to manipulate the network from the controller. On complete graph with 15 nodes as cities at Toyama prefecture, the controller can send Flow-mod messages to all switches within 210 s. Therefore, the OpenFlow network on the satellite communications is realizable for the dependable network on regional area.