Initiating a research body for Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). This group aims to put Sudan on the map of SDN/NFV technologies and guide Sudanese researchers in these areas to conduct advance and high quality scientific research, also exchange knowledge, resources and experience with local and international research entities.

1. SDN/NFV Sudanese Research
Group Initiative
IEEE SUDAN Introductory Session

2. The power of GROUP
 Define the problems to be tackled and the questions to be answered.
 Guide the research into directed topics and interpret the results in terms of their
significance for community ,policy change and industry demands.
 Disseminate findings and enrich the scientific and industry communities.

3. Build a research group
 Clear Goals
 Flat Structure
 Communication
 Resources
 Timelines
 Integration
 Productivity
 Research emphasis
 Decentralization
 Continuity
 Achievements
 Rewarding & Recognition

4. SDN/NFV Research Groups
 Open Networking Foundation (ONF)
 IEEE SDN
 Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
 Stanford University
 Metro Ethernet Forum(MEF)

5. Software Defined Networking
Network Functions Virtualization

6. Software Defined Networking
A new networking paradigm, Where the forwarding hardware (i.e. network devices as legacy
routers and switches) is decoupled from the control plane i.e. the routing protocols and control
software.
o Programmability
o Flexibility
o Scalability
o Vendor-independency
o Standardization of application programming interfaces

7. SDN Architecture

9. SDN Applications
 Quality of Service
 Congestion aware-routing
 Content aware-routing
 Security
 IoT/WSN

10. Network Functions Virtualization
NFV is to virtualize (known also as network softwarization) a set of network functions by
deploying them into software packages, which can assembled and chained to create the
same services provided in legacy networks.
o Build end-to-end infrastructure
o Flexibility & scalability
o Enable network functions on general purpose computing/storage platforms.
o Horizontal and vertical chaining

12. SDN/NFV Trends
In next 3 years SDN/NFV will dominate the networking industry.
2020

13. SDN/NFV Trends

14. SDN/NFV Challenges
 Maturity and standardization
 Interoperability
 Silicon Concerns
 Performance
 Centralized vs Distributed

15. How to be SDN/NFV Researcher

16. Back to the basics
 Algebra
 Queuing theory and Graph theory
 Information Theory
 Legacy Switching and Routing protocols
 Programming

17. Network programming
 Client-server programming (TCP , UDP , unicast , multicast … etc.).
 Socket/tunnel programming ( TAP , RTP , WebSockets … etc.).
 Packet manipulation ( encapsulation , labeling , … )

19. Tools box
o Network simulation and Emulation environments
o Network traffic generators
o Network traffic analyzers
o Packet inspectors

20. Discussion Q&A
twitter or Facebook #IEEE_SDN

21. If you want to join us
Drop your CV at ahmed.ali@ieee.org

22. What next ?
o Recruiting and team building
o Creating collaboration platform ( Google group , mailing list , website ).
o Research Topics roadmap.