Comparative Performance Analysis Between Software-Defined Networks and Conventional IP Networks

Conventional IP networks connect places at great distances and meet the connectivity needs of their users. To perform each of these operations, each packet must pass through various network devices, which make individual routing decisions that make centralized network management difficult. These networks have been growing both in size and complexity, each day at a higher rate, which has generated a series of difficulties in personalization, integration, security, and optimization of these. As a solution, the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) architecture [1] was created, which promises to be a dynamic, manageable, profitable and adaptable architecture, thus becoming an ideal tool to handle large bandwidths and the development and implementation of customized applications, for different types of needs on communication networks. This document shows a performance analysis between SDN and a conventional IP network configured with the EIGRP and BGP routing protocols, establishing a configuration scenario with physical network equipment and with an SDN emulator called Mininet. The research methodology is based on the guidelines of the Cisco PPDIOO methodology and is developed in the following phases: 1. Elaboration of physical network topology with Cisco equipment, performing experiments with IPv4 and IPv6, measuring variables such as Jitter, Delay and Throughput. 2. Carrying out the same experiments and tests with SDN, in a network topology with similar characteristics to those already mentioned, but with OpenFlow switches. 3. Analysis of results, for which the behavior of jitter, delay and throughput variations of both scenarios is examined to make a series of comparisons (made with statistical analysis) concerning protocol, addressing, packet size among others. Finally, it was obtained as a result that SDN has a lower delay and jitter than the conventional IP network in some cases, as well as a more favorable throughput.