Abstract:

Nowadays OpenFlow networks lack an effective measurement means supporting for quantificationally analyz-ing and measuring various innovative applications or mechanisms yet. On the basis of upgrading equipments in Open-Flow networks to be measurement entities which function local log, a mechanism that the measurement entities can carry out the distributed measurement controlled by a centralized server OpenTrace server is designed, and a communications specification called OpenFlow measurement control protocol (OMCP) is established. Meanwhile, a function to analyze the measurement logs, which is based on the regular expression, hash technique and extended statistical function base, is designed. The experimental results of the prototype show that OpenTrace can flexibly deploy and control the distributed measurements; not only the transmission process of dataflow in the data plane but also the interactive process of control-ling events in the control plane can recur quantificationally by OpenTrace system, and the comprehensive performance data can be provided for the quantificational analysis of applications and new mechanisms in OpenFlow networks.

Key words: future internet, OpenFlow, distributed measurement, centralized control