Optimization and Experimental Study of Controller Deployment for SDN-Based Satellite Networks

Integrating Software Defined Networking (SDN) with satellite networks can effectively enhance the flexibility of integrated terrestrial and satellite networks, with controller deployment being a key aspect. Satellite network controller deployment is characterized by significant delays and limited on-board processing capabilities. Addressing these characteristics, this paper proposes a controller deployment strategy for SDN satellite networks based on the immune algorithm, along with a semi-physical simulation approach. This paper makes the following contributions: First, it introduces a satellite controller deployment model to reduce global average control delay and improve load balancing level. Second, it utilizes a two-step mutation approach that leverages the hierarchical nature of controller deployment to improve the convergence speed of feasible solutions. Finally, it designs a semi-physical simulation experiment combining Satellite Tool Kit (STK), Mininet, and physical SDN switches to simulate the controller deployment results. The simulation results indicate that lower latency and better load balancing can be achieved.