Analysis of Load Balancing Algorithm in Software Defined Networking

Software-Defined Networks (SDNs) represent an innovative, flexible and cost-effective approach in the domain of computer networks as they propose a newer model to control forwarding and routing of data packets that navigate throughout the Internet. This helps in building a network without any vendor specific hardware knowledge. In data centers, load balancer is a key component. The primary function of a load balancer is to distribute traffic among a group of servers such that no single server gets over-utilized, ensure that critical services are kept running and the requests are evenly serviced. The cost of proprietary devices used in traditional networks increases with inclusion of functions like load balancing, security etc. In this paper we are implementing and analyzing the performance of Round-Robin load balancing strategy using a POX controller in a virtual network emulator called Mininet. Unlike the traditional hardware-based networking approach, this project implements load balancing with the help of software.