StaticFlowIP Floodlight module

StaticFlowIP is a Floodlight module that enables users to build bidirectional path between two couples of nodes in the network, specifying their IP address.

The Floodlight controller implements the Openflow protocol, which specifications can be found here: Openflow spec

This project depends on Floodlight, which can be found here: Floodlight project on GitHub.

It has been tested with Mininet, which can be found here: Mininet project on GitHub.

License

This sofware is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

Information can be found here: Apache License 2.0.

The StaticFlowIP module

General description

With the StaticFlowIP module a user can create a bidirectional path (the best path calculed by routing and topology modules) between two hosts of the network, just specifying their IP. The original Floodlight circuitPusher application saves to an external file switches informations and it calls different times the Floodlight REST API. Our python script saves the two IP end points and it performs only one call to the REST API.

Current limitations

Currently users can only add flows and the name is automatically decided by Floodlight. To delete the flow the user has to manually modify the file created by the application.

Installation and configuration

The project has been developed and tested on Floodlight v0.90.

The module consists of the following components:

• it.garr.staticflowip package

Eclipse

Using Eclipse, after the import of the Floodlight project:

• Copy all it.garr.staticflowip.* packages in the project folder (outside net.floodlightcontroller)
• Modify the file src/main/resources/META-INF/services/net.floodlightcontroller.core.module.IFloodlightModule
  • add it.garr.staticflowip.StaticFlowIp
• Modify the file src/main/resources/floodlight.properties
  • add it.garr.staticflowip.StaticFlowIp

Runnable file

For production environment, a jar version of the module is downloadable from the root directory of this GitHub repository.

Alternatively, it is possible to create your own staticflowip.jar with the compiled files from this project, plus your custom IFloodlightModule file. For mode details follow the Floodlight documentation.

According to Floodlight command sintax, you can integrate the jar file to your Floodlight installation running the command:

java -cp floodlight.jar:staticflowip.jar net.floodlightcontroller.core.Main -cf floodlight.properties

The parameters specified have the following meaning:

• floodlight.properties is the file specifying the properties for the running instance of Floodlight, it is configred to start the StaticFlowIP module provided with this project.

REST APIs

This project offers the following REST APIs:

• http://controller-ip:8080/wm/staticflowip/IP/json
  • it supports POST actions allowing users to set via REST API a bidirectional path between two nodes of the network.

REST API tutorial

Below, an example of the REST API used to set paths can be found:

• JSON posted to define path through http://controller-ip:8080/wm/staticflowip/IP/json. The following JSON is useful to set a path between 10.0.0.1 and 10.0.0.2.

      {"IPSrc":"10.0.0.1","IPDst":"10.0.0.2"}
  

Utilities and examples

In the scripts folder, a client side script is provided to perform typical operations and examples, like createing a flow between two hosts:

• PushIP.py is an example python script that creates a tunnel (a flow) between two hosts. Once installed, just the editing of the script is needed. The user should modify the source and the destination addresses and then run it.

  At the moment, with the REST API, users can only add new flows. Flows can not be deleted by REST API. To delete a flow the text file produced in the Floodlight folder must be manually modified.