Measuring Network Traffic with OpenNetMon: A Pull-Based Active Measurement Approach

Network traffic measurement has become increasingly important in modern computing, particularly with the rise of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). One popular approach to measuring network traffic is through a pull-based active measurement method, where network flows are continuously monitored between predefined endpoints for throughput, packet loss, and delay. This technique is known as OpenNetMon.

OpenNetMon determines whether end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) parameters are actually met for each flow, providing valuable insights into network performance. Similar to other approaches like iSTAMP, OpenNetMon leverages the power of OpenFlow to measure traffic parameters. However, unlike other solutions, OpenNetMon's architecture proposes a separate controller to add new rules, which can be an issue when dealing with Hierarchical Heavy Hitters (HHHs).

The framework is evaluated using the Hierarchical Heavy Hitter program to understand the tradeoff between accuracy and overhead. This approach reduces the overhead of the controller significantly, as switch processing identifies matching rules locally and determines whether to drop or forward packets. In contrast, other approaches may require additional mechanisms to monitor and discover HHHs.

Another notable example of network traffic measurement is found in a study by Jose et al., which proposed a measurement framework for large-scale traffic aggregation in commodity switches. The framework uses Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) to match packets against a small collection of wildcard rules, finding a balance between accuracy and overhead implications.

In conclusion, OpenNetMon offers a pull-based active measurement approach that effectively monitors network flows while providing valuable insights into QoS parameters. While it presents some limitations in dealing with HHHs, its architecture is designed to reduce controller overhead and increase measurement accuracy. As the demand for accurate network traffic measurement continues to grow, solutions like OpenNetMon will play an essential role in ensuring reliable network performance.

Network traffic software