Improving fault tolerance in critical networks through OpenFlow

Fault tolerance is a paramount feature in communications networks because it supports the operation of critical systems such as power grid, defense systems, financial markets, transportation systems, among others. Currently, technology enablers such as Software Defined Networking (SDN) ease the management and operation of such communications networks. This paper proposes an algorithm to set up flows, in all switches of the network topology, with the aim of improving the performance of the network and the system response in case of failures, employing the OpenFlow Select and Fast Failover groups. Results show that the algorithm optimizes the available memory resources, provides high utilization of network resources (links) and guarantees the operation continuity in case of link failures.