Maximizing SDN Flow Table Efficiency with Dynamic Timeout Allocation and Proactive Eviction

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) represents a transformative paradigm that decouples the data plane from the control plane in network architecture. Through the utilization of an OpenFlow controller, this framework populates flow tables with necessary flow entries. Flow tables are inherently constrained by factors such as power consumption and cost, which underscores the need for adept management algorithms to optimize their utilization. In this study, we introduce VITARPEM utilizing two approaches: dynamic idle timeout allocation and proactive eviction. By incorporating dynamic idle timeout allocation, contingent upon flow table occupancy, we have achieved a reduction in packet-in count of up to %8.5 compared to the latest research findings. Moreover, our proactive eviction algorithm has demonstrated a diminished rate of rejected flows, thereby augmenting overall network performance. In scenarios characterized by limited flow table sizes, the number of rejected flows decreased to %43 of the closest competitor’s count.