Automatic configuration of OpenFlow in wireless mobile ad hoc networks

A Mobile wireless Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) is a decentralized wireless network in which mobile wireless nodes either directly communicate with each other or communicate via other wireless nodes in the network. In addition, OpenFlow has disruptive potential in designing a flexible programmable network which can foster innovation, reduce complexity and deliver right economics. In recent years, there are significant interests from research communities to deploy OpenFlow in MANETs. This paper proposes a configuration method with which OpenFlow can be deployed automatically in a MANET without any manual configuration. The proposed configuration method is tested in an emulated MANET created on the Fed4FIRE testbed using Mininet-WiFi (an emulator for wireless software-defined wireless networks). Experimentation includes automatic configuration of OpenFlow in linear, sparse, and dense mobile ad hoc networks. Results show the effectiveness of the method in configuring OpenFlow in wireless mobile ad hoc networks.