ORAN: OpenFlow Routers for Academic Networks

We present the design and prototyping of an OpenFlow-enabled Gigabit Ethernet switch based on an ATCA industrial standard platform. Our work consists of an architectural design for introducing OpenFlow switch functionalities to the ATCA switching platform, design and development of an enhanced library for OpenFlow protocol stack, and porting the data-path functionalities and protocol end-point to the selected platform. We also carry out several performance evaluation tests on the developed switching platform and present selected results. The results demonstrate the successful introduction of OpenFlow protocol to the ATCA platform and contribute, among other things, to the identification of performance bottlenecks and crucial design issues in OpenFlow switches.