An OpenFlow Testbed for the Evaluation of Vertical Handover Decision Algorithms in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

This paper details a framework that leverages Software Defined Networking (SDN) features to provide a testbed for evaluating handovers for IPv4 heterogeneous wireless networks. The framework is intended to be an extension to the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) testbed, but the essence of the framework can be applied on any OpenFlow (OF) enabled network. Our goal is to enable researchers to evaluate vertical handover decision algorithms using GENI resources, open source software, and low cost commodity hardware. The framework eliminates the triangle routing problem experienced by other previous IPv4-compatible IP mobility solutions. This paper provides an overview of the testbed framework, implementation details for our installation using GENI WiMAX resources, and a discussion of future work.