SDN as a Tool for Energy Saving

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is considered as a promising solution for optimizing network energy consumption. This paper analyzes possible energy savings that could be achieved by turning off underutilized network links. It presents the energy consumption of a real IP/MPLS network and issues that prevent IP/MPLS from being more energy efficient. The paper proposes the SDN as an approach with a global view of the network and easier link management. A small experiment shows how easy it is for SDN to monitor and shut down unneeded links. This could enable a significant energy saving when using an SDN solution.