Hanieh Kashfi proposes μSDN, a low-overhead SDN architecture for low-power IoT networks. μSDN builds on centralization trends in IEEE 802.15.4 protocols and includes additional optimization techniques to reduce overhead. It aims to provide the advantages of SDN such as global knowledge, network reconfiguration and virtualization to low-power networks while maintaining compatibility with IPv6 and interoperability with routing protocols like RPL. The challenges of applying SDN to low-power wireless mesh networks include device hardware restrictions, unreliable links, interference and multi-hop topologies.

1. EVOLVING SDN FOR LOW-POWER IOT
NETWORKS
Hanieh Kashfi
97543010
Winter 2018
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2. CHALLENGE
• Low-Power and Lossy Network (LLN)
• limited in terms of reliability, throughput, and
energy
• Jitter
• due to unreliable links and network contention,
• The overhead generated by SDN
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3. APPROACH
• µSDN, a low-overhead SDN architecture which builds
on recent trends towards centralization in protocols
for IEEE 802.15.4 networks
• additional optimization techniques
• compatibility with IPv6 networks
• interoperability with existing distributed routing protocols such
as RPL [3] (Routing Protocol for LLN).
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4. THE ADVANTAGES OF SDN
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Network
Reconfiguration
Virtualization
Global
Knowledge

5. MOTIVATION FOR SDN IN LOW-POWER
IOT
• Using Global Knowledge, SDN can help distribute flows
and allocate network resources according to QoS
requirements.
• Network (Re)configuration would free low-power networks
from serving a single application over their lifetime, and
allow operators to add new sensors, actuators, and
network capabilities with relative ease without updating
firmware.
• By employing the SDN architecture to Virtualize network
functions such as routing, security, and data aggregation,
IoT sensor networks can take advantage of greater
computing resources at the controller.
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6. THE CHALLENGE OF LOW-POWER
WIRELESS MESH
• Device Hardware Restrictions
• Unreliable Links
• Fragmentation
• Interference
• Multi-Hop Mesh Topology
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7. RPL
(ROUTING PROTOCOL FOR LOW-POWER AND LOSSY
NETWORKS)
• Wireless low-power network
• Parent selection
• Tree shaped ad-hoc topology
• Energy consumption
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8. RELATED WORK
• Sensor OpenFlow
• SDWN
• SDN-Wise
• CORAL
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9. OPTIMIZING SDN FOR LOW-POWER WIRELESS
• Protocol Optimization (Fragmentation, packet frequency, match on
Byte Arrays)
• Architectural Optimization (Source routing, flow control, refresh
flow-table timer)
• Memory Optimization (buffer size, reuse flow-table matches/actions)
• Controller Optimization (embedded controller)
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10. 𝞵SDN ARCHITECTURE
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IEEE 802.15.4
6LoWPAN
IPv6
RPL
Controller
Discovery
Controller Join
Config. +
Metrics
Flow table
Overhead
Reduction
Controlle
r Adapter
SDN
Engine
SDN
Driver
μSDN (UDP) Conn.

11. EVALUATION
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12. THANKS
FOR
YOUR ATTENTION
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