Experiences and challenges in deploying openflow over a real wireless mesh network

Wireless Mesh Networks propose a decentralized architecture for establishing multi-hop wireless communications. The decentralized architecture brings benefits such as ease of deployment and maintenance., scalability and reliability. However., wireless mesh networks lack high level services such as handoff and mobility management or admission control. OpenFlow is an interface for remotely controlling the flow table of switches., routers and access points. The OpenFlow protocol separates the control plane and the data plane of network devices, proposing a centralized architecture for controlling the forwarding of data packets. Furthermore., it offers a framework for developing high level services over the network. Combining this solution with the characteristics of wireless mesh networks allows better performance., by the use of high level services. However., it introduces challenges regarding the opposition between the centralized control of OpenFlow and the distributed architecture of wireless mesh networks. In this paper we expose our experiences deploying an OpenFlow controller over a wireless mesh network based on the 802.11s standard. First., we describe the scenarios used in our testbed. Then., we discuss the considerations for each scenario. Finally we propose some applications using OpenFlow over a Wireless Mesh Network.