The use of software-defined networking (SDN) allows for integrating new mechanisms for the joint optimization of application control and network control. Phase 1 of the DFG SDN-APP project investigated and showed the feasibility of application-aware network management with an improved Quality of Experience (QoE) in multi-application scenarios.

Phase 2 of the DFG SDN App project extends Phase 1 and widens the considered scenarios. It integrates time-critical applications into the scope of the project. Phase 2 focuses on hybrid real-time networks with hard and soft real-time guarantees with changing demands like smart manufacturing to control manufacturing devices.

Phase 2 of the DFG SDN-APP project aims at realizing a hybrid real-time network allowing time-critical and best-effort applications to coexist on the same infrastructure. Phase 2 investigates the use of concepts such as Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Network programmability (SDN and P4) for hybrid real-time networks.

The main objectives cover:

• Hybrid real-time networks: Mechanisms to provide hard and soft real-time requirements on a common physical infrastructure for (industrial) network types by utilizing SDN-enabled application-aware network control architectures
• Programmability:
  • Analysis of programmable networking hardware with a focus on reconfiguration
  • Identification of missing features
  • Adaptation of the algorithms for a “hardware-aware” solution for providing end-to-end guarantees
• Flexibility: Quantification of the flexibility, as well as the performance/efficiency increase, depending on the available information
• Guidelines: Guidelines for the given network type