BLOCKCHAIN SCALABILITY IN SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKS

Abstract

Recent optimizations in blockchain technology and increased utilization of software defined networking (SDN) have led to new opportunities in data center network management. The research problem presented in this study is whether a blockchain protocol can be efficiently used in east/west communications between geographically separated SDN domains. To evaluate blockchain geographic scalability in SDNs, experiments were performed utilizing latency measurements on a GENI testbed coupled with a blockchain transaction discrete-event simulator modeling an open-source permissioned blockchain system. Results reveal that additional network latency imposed by increased geographic separation between SDNs does not introduce a significant detriment to blockchain-enabled SDN communication because the current blockchain systems typically incur relatively high processing delays. However, the relative newness and poor quality of available permissioned blockchain software impose significant challenges in terms of ease of adoption and deployment. Experience gained in this research suggests that such software likely needs to mature more through real-world deployment and testing in order to support further efforts of integrating blockchain and SDN.