Optimizing Discovery Protocol for Enhanced Network Capacity and Mitigating Broadcast Storms in Software-Defined Networks

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is an innovative approach designed to overcome the limitations of traditional networks. SDN separates the control plane from the data plane and creates a centralized controller with node switches. Communication between the controller and the switches is established using protocols like OpenFlow. This approach provides multiple advantages, like the ability to track the network traffic and facilitate network debugging. Furthermore, the implementation of discovery protocols within SDN aids in improving the network forwarding performance by providing the controller with essential network topology information, which serves as the foundation for improved routing and forwarding algorithms. This paper proposes enhancements to the discovery protocol to optimize network capacity. Additionally, a novel algorithm is introduced to address the challenge of broadcast storms-network events in which a broadcast packet creates a loop, consuming bandwidth and resources-in complex network topologies with closed paths. And to enhance network management and debugging, a visual application is developed to give an overview of the network topology.