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Tsinghua Science and Technology 2024, 29(5): 1615-1632 https://doi.org/10.26599/TST.2024.9010010
Open Access | Issue | Published: 02 May 2024

Resilient TCP Variant Enabling Smooth Network Updates for Software-Defined Data Center Networks

Show Author's Information Abdul Basit Dogar1,  Sami Ullah2,  Yiran Zhang3,  Hisham Alasmary4,  Muhammad Waqas5( ),  Sheng Chen6
Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China and also with Department of Informatics and Systems, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54660, Pakistan
Department of Computer Science, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Upper Dir 18050, Pakistan
School of Computer Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Department of Computer Science, College of Computer Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Bahrain, Sakheer 32038, Bahrain, and also with School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Perth WA 6027, Australia
School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
Keywords:
packet drop, SDN, software defined data center networks, network updates, DCTCP, out-of-order packets
Cite this article:
Dogar AB, Ullah S, Zhang Y, et al. Resilient TCP Variant Enabling Smooth Network Updates for Software-Defined Data Center Networks. Tsinghua Science and Technology, 2024, 29(5): 1615-1632. https://doi.org/10.26599/TST.2024.9010010
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Abstract Full text About this article

Network updates have become increasingly prevalent since the broad adoption of software-defined networks (SDNs) in data centers. Modern TCP designs, including cutting-edge TCP variants DCTCP, CUBIC, and BBR, however, are not resilient to network updates that provoke flow rerouting. In this paper, we first demonstrate that popular TCP implementations perform inadequately in the presence of frequent and inconsistent network updates, because inconsistent and frequent network updates result in out-of-order packets and packet drops induced via transitory congestion and lead to serious performance deterioration. We look into the causes and propose a network update-friendly TCP (NUFTCP), which is an extension of the DCTCP variant, as a solution. Simulations are used to assess the proposed NUFTCP. Our findings reveal that NUFTCP can more effectively manage the problems of out-of-order packets and packet drops triggered in network updates, and it outperforms DCTCP considerably.


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About this article

Resilient TCP Variant Enabling Smooth Network Updates for Software-Defined Data Center Networks

Show Author's information Abdul Basit Dogar1, Sami Ullah2, Yiran Zhang3, Hisham Alasmary4, Muhammad Waqas5( ), Sheng Chen6
Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China and also with Department of Informatics and Systems, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54660, Pakistan
Department of Computer Science, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Upper Dir 18050, Pakistan
School of Computer Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Department of Computer Science, College of Computer Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Bahrain, Sakheer 32038, Bahrain, and also with School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Perth WA 6027, Australia
School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

Abstract

Network updates have become increasingly prevalent since the broad adoption of software-defined networks (SDNs) in data centers. Modern TCP designs, including cutting-edge TCP variants DCTCP, CUBIC, and BBR, however, are not resilient to network updates that provoke flow rerouting. In this paper, we first demonstrate that popular TCP implementations perform inadequately in the presence of frequent and inconsistent network updates, because inconsistent and frequent network updates result in out-of-order packets and packet drops induced via transitory congestion and lead to serious performance deterioration. We look into the causes and propose a network update-friendly TCP (NUFTCP), which is an extension of the DCTCP variant, as a solution. Simulations are used to assess the proposed NUFTCP. Our findings reveal that NUFTCP can more effectively manage the problems of out-of-order packets and packet drops triggered in network updates, and it outperforms DCTCP considerably.

Keywords: packet drop, SDN, software defined data center networks, network updates, DCTCP, out-of-order packets

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Publication history

Received: 15 September 2023
Revised: 08 December 2023
Accepted: 09 January 2024
Published: 02 May 2024
Issue date: October 2024

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© The Author(s) 2024.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supportted by the King Khalid University through the Large Group Project (No. RGP.2/312/44).

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