Flowsim: Interactive SDN switch visualization

We present Flowsim, a new web-based OpenFlow data plane simulator. Flowsim enables users to configure their own OpenFlow switches, issue OpenFlow messages, inject custom packet sequences into the data plane, and observe the resulting behavior. During a simulation, the life cycle of an injected packet is analyzed as it traverses the OpenFlow data plane. The user is presented with visualizations that include packet arrival, key extraction, table selection, flow selection, and action application. Flowsim allows new users to quickly grasp the key SDN concepts in a controlled environment, without the need to install or configure complicated software tools. We expect Flowsim to contribute to the adoption of the SDN technologies by a wider community of network practitioners.