Research methodology is determined as the major segment in general research projects. The methodology encompasses various information such as research problems, objectives, significant techniques and so on. The following is an extensive research methodology adapted for an SDN project:

1. Define the Research Problem and Objectives

Describe the issue your study will solve within the SDN field in an explicit manner. This is examined as the initial procedure. Typically, enhancing network effectiveness, safety improvements, energy efficiency, or another certain factor of SDN are concentrated. It is appreciable to determine evident and scalable goals that your study intends to attain.

2. Literature Review

To interpret the recent condition of study and advancements in SDN, carry out an extensive literature analysis. Generally, existing literature, recent mechanisms, limitations, and developments have to be investigated. For detecting gaps in previous study and more enhancing your research queries or theories, this procedure is determined as assistive.

3. Select the Research Approach

Aim to determine whether your technique will be experimental, empirical, or theoretical. In the setting of SDN:

• Empirical: From actual-world SDN deployments, collecting data and examining it.
• Theoretical: To address SDN issues, constructing frameworks or hypotheses.
• Experimental: In order to evaluate theories regarding SDN efficiency or activities, arrange simulations or models.

4. Model the Experiment/Simulation

Simulation is examined as a major element for many SDN projects. Focus on defining the simulation tools such as GNS3, Mininet, or NS-3 and the parameters you want to regulate. To assess your theories or align your research goals, model your experimentation. This could encompass:

• Network Topology: The network infrastructure such as number of nodes, links, kind of topology has to be described.
• SDN Controller and Protocols: It is advisable to select the SDN controller like Ryu, OpenDaylight, etc, and the protocols such as Netconf, OpenFlow, etc to utilize.
• Performance Metrics: Focus on specifying what parameters you will assess like latency, network load, throughput, packet loss.

5. Data Gathering

On the basis of your empirical model, gather data. Typically, gathering records from actual or simulated network platforms, executing simulations, or employing network traffic generators are encompassed.

6. Data Analysis

Through the utilization of suitable statistical tools and approaches, investigate the data. The process of contrasting the effectiveness of various SDN arrangements, interpreting the influence of specific scenarios on network performance, or any other factors significant to your aims are the main consideration of this exploration.

7. Implementation (if applicable)

This stage includes the real coding and creation of these approaches, when your project encompasses developing or improving SDN tools or techniques. This might be enhancements in previous SDN protocols, a novel characteristic for an SDN controller, or a novel network management implementation.

8. Assessment

Against the goals set at the initiating stage of the project, assess the results of your experimentations or deployments. To ensure the outcomes, this might include extra rounds of assessing or simulations.

9. Discussion

In the setting of the previous study and actual-world applications, converse the significance of your results. Aim to emphasize any novel perceptions your study has offered and it is approachable to recommend valuable regions for upcoming exploration.

10. Documentation and Reporting

Finally, in an extensive manner document your research procedure, outcomes, and assessments. To discuss your outcomes with the educational committee or other participants, create documents, research papers, or depictions.

How can I identify a specific switch in Mininet when using a POX controller?

The process of detecting a certain switch in Mininet while utilizing a POX controller is examined as challenging as well as intriguing. We provide a stepwise technique to attain this:

1. Understanding Mininet and POX Interaction

Generally, on the basis of the topology arrangement script, every switch in Mininet is given a default name such as s1, s2, etc. Through the OpenFlow protocol, when a POX controller is linked to these switches, obtains a specific identifier for every switch which is called as a datapath ID. To distinguish and handle numerous switches, the datapath ID (DPID) is examined as essential for the controller.

2. Configuring Mininet Topology

You can indicate the names of switches and how they link, when you initiate Mininet. The following is a basic instance of how to begin a network with three switches and three hosts in Mininet:

sudo mn –topo single,3 –mac –switch ovsk –controller remote

This command establishes a basic linear topology together with three hosts and switches, automatically allocates MAC addresses, employs the default Open vSwitch kernel module, and links to a remote controller such as POX.

3. Starting the POX Controller

It is appreciable to begin the POX controller. To handle the network, load the essential modules. For instance, in order to begin POX and manage OpenFlow incidents, you could employ:

./pox.py forwarding.l2_learning openflow.discovery

Along with a simple L2 learning switch module (forwarding.l2_learning) and topology discovery module (openflow.discovery), this command executes the POX controller.

4. Identifying Switches in POX

Every switch connection generates an incident that involves the switch’s DPID, in the POX controller. To print or record this DPID when a switch links, you can alter a POX element. Below is a basic alteration in the l2_learning element:

from pox.core import core

import pox.openflow.libopenflow_01 as of

from pox.lib.util import dpid_to_str

def _handle_ConnectionUp(self, event):

    print(“Switch %s has come up.” % dpid_to_str(event.dpid))

Based on the switch connection to the POX controller, this code will output the DPID of every switch.

5. Mapping Mininet Names to POX DPIDs

By employing the dpid metric structured as a hexadecimal string without leading zeros, you can fix certain DPIs in your Mininet script to represent the Mininet switch names like s1, s2, etc to the DPIDs examined in POX.

net.addSwitch(‘s1′, dpid=’1’)

net.addSwitch(‘s2′, dpid=’2’)

This technique makes sure that the DPIDs are clearly represented to the switch names in your Mininet topology and are foreseeable.

6. Interacting with Specific Switches

When the DPID of a certain switch is known to you, it is better to communicate with it by means of the POX controller through mentioning this DPID in your POX scripts. Through the utilization of this DPID, you can write OpenFlow messages, install flow entries, or obtain switch-specific data.