Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis

In an SDN environment, topology discovery is a key function that allows the network controller to accurately understand how network devices are connected and interact. Traditional topology discovery methods typically rely on specific protocols, such as LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol), but these...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tianyi Zhang, Yong Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2024-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10559485/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850066284309381120
author Tianyi Zhang
Yong Wang
author_facet Tianyi Zhang
Yong Wang
author_sort Tianyi Zhang
collection DOAJ
description In an SDN environment, topology discovery is a key function that allows the network controller to accurately understand how network devices are connected and interact. Traditional topology discovery methods typically rely on specific protocols, such as LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol), but these methods may have issues like inefficiency and security vulnerabilities. Therefore, researchers and engineers have been exploring more secure and efficient topology discovery methods to adapt to the evolving network demands and challenges. This paper introduces a novel SDN topology discovery method, Attopo, based on the attention mechanism and network flow analysis, independent of traditional protocols. We apply the attention mechanism to SDN topology discovery for the first time and address the security vulnerabilities of the OFDP protocol through a non-protocol mechanism. Attopo combines Self-attention, Cross-attention, and Prob-attention mechanisms to analyze network flows received by the controller and extract topology information, thereby enhancing the model’s accuracy and efficiency in network topology discovery. Additionally, we have collected a dataset containing network flows and topology labels by simulating different network environments, which enhances the model’s adaptability. Experimental validation shows that our method performs well in terms of accuracy, recall rate, F1 score, and AUC metrics in topology discovery.
format Article
id doaj-art-abc5d68b136e44c2bea161dee25cce47
institution DOAJ
issn 2169-3536
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher IEEE
record_format Article
series IEEE Access
spelling doaj-art-abc5d68b136e44c2bea161dee25cce472025-08-20T02:48:46ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362024-01-011218219018220210.1109/ACCESS.2024.341538410559485Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow AnalysisTianyi Zhang0https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2311-469XYong Wang1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5383-5736School of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, ChinaSchool of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, ChinaIn an SDN environment, topology discovery is a key function that allows the network controller to accurately understand how network devices are connected and interact. Traditional topology discovery methods typically rely on specific protocols, such as LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol), but these methods may have issues like inefficiency and security vulnerabilities. Therefore, researchers and engineers have been exploring more secure and efficient topology discovery methods to adapt to the evolving network demands and challenges. This paper introduces a novel SDN topology discovery method, Attopo, based on the attention mechanism and network flow analysis, independent of traditional protocols. We apply the attention mechanism to SDN topology discovery for the first time and address the security vulnerabilities of the OFDP protocol through a non-protocol mechanism. Attopo combines Self-attention, Cross-attention, and Prob-attention mechanisms to analyze network flows received by the controller and extract topology information, thereby enhancing the model’s accuracy and efficiency in network topology discovery. Additionally, we have collected a dataset containing network flows and topology labels by simulating different network environments, which enhances the model’s adaptability. Experimental validation shows that our method performs well in terms of accuracy, recall rate, F1 score, and AUC metrics in topology discovery.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10559485/SDNtopology discoveryattention mechanismnon-protocol methodnetwork flow analysis
spellingShingle Tianyi Zhang
Yong Wang
Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis
IEEE Access
SDN
topology discovery
attention mechanism
non-protocol method
network flow analysis
title Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis
title_full Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis
title_fullStr Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis
title_short Attopo: An SDN Non-Protocol Topology Discovery Method Based on Attention Mechanism and Network Flow Analysis
title_sort attopo an sdn non protocol topology discovery method based on attention mechanism and network flow analysis
topic SDN
topology discovery
attention mechanism
non-protocol method
network flow analysis
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10559485/
work_keys_str_mv AT tianyizhang attopoansdnnonprotocoltopologydiscoverymethodbasedonattentionmechanismandnetworkflowanalysis
AT yongwang attopoansdnnonprotocoltopologydiscoverymethodbasedonattentionmechanismandnetworkflowanalysis