SDN orchestration architectures and their integration with Cloud Computing applications

Abstract Emerging cloud-based applications, running in geographically distributed data centers (DCs), generate new dynamic traffic patterns which claim for a more efficient management of the traffic flows. Geographically distributed DCs interconnection requires automatic and more dynamic provisioning and deletion of end-to-end (E2E) connectivity services, through heterogeneous network domains. Each network domain may use a different data transport technology but also a different control/management system. The fast development of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and the interworking with current control plane technologies such as Generalized Multi-protocol Label Switching (GMPLS), demand orchestration over the heterogeneous control instances to provide seamless E2E connectivity services to external applications (i.e. Cloud Computing applications). In this work, we present different orchestration architectures based on the SDN principles which use the Path Computation Element (PCE) as a fundamental component. In particular, a single SDN controller orchestration approach is compared with an orchestration architecture based on the Application Based Network Operations (ABNO) defined within the International Engineering Task Force (IETF), in order to find the potential benefits and drawbacks of both architectures. Finally, the SDN IT and Network Orchestration (SINO) platform which integrates the management of Cloud Computing infrastructure with the network orchestration, it is used to validate both architectures by evaluating their performance providing two inter-DC connectivity services: E2E connectivity and Virtual Machine (VM) migration.