Developing a traffic classification platform for enterprise networks with SDN: Experiences & lessons learned

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is an innovative approach to networking architecture that opens up avenues to create a whole new class of networking functionality. While data centre networks are steadily adopting the SDN approach with considerable success, other areas of networking such as network access control, load balancing and traffic classification remain nascent. Traffic classification in SDN is relatively experimental and attempts for SDN traffic classification to become a viable solution for enterprise networks require additional investigation. This paper reports on the practical experiences and lessons learned while developing an SDN based traffic classification platform for an enterprise network. We use the platform to demonstrate the feasibility of SDN based traffic classifiers by evaluating against a set of desired outcomes. We make note of the design choices using the currently available technologies that may be helpful to networks operators considering deploying their own solution. We conclude the paper with suggested changes to better address limitations for software traffic classification that will remove the need for workarounds with future versions of OpenFlow.