Reliability Improvement Using SDN: Issues and Challenges Ahead

Muhammad Usman Younus; Kalsoom Safdar; Hassan Moatasam Awan

doi:10.33411/IJIST/1755

Authors

Muhammad Usman Younus Ecole Doctorale Matheematiques, Informatique, Telecommunication de Toulouse, University of Toulouse (III) Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
Kalsoom Safdar Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Technology, University Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
Hassan Moatasam Awan Department of Informatics and Systems, School of Systems and Technology, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33411/IJIST/1755

Keywords:

Software Defined Networking, Reliability, WSN, SDN Controller, Network Failure

Abstract

Significant improvements in network reliability are being observed across various types of networks due to their wide applicability. Novel architectures for various applications of emerging technologies have been introduced to address problems related to network reliability. Consequently, a novel networking approach, referred to as Software Defined Networking (SDN), is being implemented to improve reliability in conventional networks via revised architectures. This paper primarily aims to provide a broad overview of research associated with enabling technologies and reliability for the next generation of networks. Existing research on emerging technologies highlights strategies to improve reliability. Detailed SDN-based reliability techniques are discussed that make the system more reliable. It also provides guidelines to address reliability-related challenges across systems and applications, highlighting key research directions.

References

Rajasekhar Chaganti, Wael Suliman, “Deep Learning Approach for SDN-Enabled Intrusion Detection System in IoT Networks,” Information, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 41, 2023, [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/14/1/41

Sarvesh Tanwar, Sumit Badotra, Harish Garg, “Blockchain and Software Defined NetworkingOpportunities, Challenges, and Future Trends,” Routledge, 2026, [Online]. Available: https://www.routledge.com/Blockchain-and-Software-Defined-Networking-Opportunities-Challenges-and-Future-Trends/Tanwar-Badotra-Garg/p/book/9781032824369

Ali Sadiqui, Moulay Rachid Filali, “Fundamentals of Software-Defined Networking Towards Intelligent and Flexible Networks,” Routledge, 2026, [Online]. Available: https://www.routledge.com/Fundamentals-of-Software-Defined-Networking-Towards-Intelligent-and-Flexible-Networks/Sadiqui-Filali/p/book/9781041154280

Suheib Alhiyari, Siti Hafizah AB Hamid, Nur Nasuha Daud, “A Survey of Link Failure Detection and Recovery in Software-Defined Networks,” Comput. Mater. Contin., vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 103–137, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1546221825000256

M. Gharbaoui, C. Contoli, G. Davoli, D. Borsatti, G. Cuffaro, F. Paganelli, W. Cerroni, P. Cappanera, B. Martini, “An experimental study on latency-aware and self-adaptive service chaining orchestration in distributed NFV and SDN infrastructures,” Comput. Networks, vol. 208, p. 108880, 2022, [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389128622000822

Shahnawaz Ahmad, Iman Shakeel, Shabana Mehfuz, Javed Ahmad, “Deep learning models for cloud, edge, fog, and IoT computing paradigms: Survey, recent advances, and future directions,” Comput. Sci. Rev., vol. 49, p. 100568, 2023, [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574013723000357

Ankit Bisht, Vandana Khaitan Nee Gupta, “Reliability analysis of 5G-VANET using cloud-fog-edge based architecture,” RAIRO - Oper. Res., vol. 58, 2023, [Online]. Available:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376644954_Reliability_analysis_of_5G-VANET_using_cloud-fog-edge_based_architecture

Sandipan Rakeshkumar Mishra, Bharanidharan Shanmugam, “SDN-Enabled IoT Security Frameworks—A Review of Existing Challenges,” Technologies, vol. 13, no. 3, p. 121, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7080/13/3/121

Q. Long, Y. Chen, H. Zhang, and X. Lei, “Software Defined 5G and 6G Networks: a Survey,” Mob. Networks Appl. 2019 275, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1792–1812, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s11036-019-01397-2.

P. Chavan and P. Chavan, “Automation of AD-OHC Dashbord and Monitoring of Cloud Resources using Genrative AI to Reduce Costing and Enhance Performance,” 2024 Int. Conf. Innov. Challenges Emerg. Technol. ICICET 2024, 2024, doi: 10.1109/ICICET59348.2024.10616299.

S. Paramasivam and R. Leela Velusamy, “Quality of service aware routing in software defined video streaming: a survey,” Peer-to-Peer Netw. Appl. 2023 164, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 1739–1760, May 2023, doi: 10.1007/s12083-023-01484-y.

B. K. Balasubramanian, K. P. Kumar, S. Sriramulu, and T. Chandrasekar, “Software-defined vehicular networks: adaptive QoS path selection for Per-OpenFlow data enhancement,” J. Supercomput. 2026 822, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 78-, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.1007/s11227-025-08203-9.

V. P. Bijlwan and N. Kumar, “Deep Reinforcement Learning in Software Defined Networking: A Survey, Research Challenges, and Future Perspectives,” IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutorials, 2026, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2026.3656733.

André Souza, Marco Quagliotti, “A Generalized Cost Model for Techno-Economic Analysis in Optical Networks,” Photonics, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 125, 2026, [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/13/2/125

V. Scotti, D. Perez-Palacin, V. Brauzi, V. Grassi, and R. Mirandola, “Antifragility via Online Learning and Monitoring: An IoT Case Study,” Proc. - 2025 IEEE Int. Conf. Auton. Comput. Self-Organizing Syst. ACSOS 2025, pp. 54–63, 2025, doi: 10.1109/ACSOS66086.2025.00022.

“Exploring and Addressing the Vulnerabilities of Multimedia Services Over Mobile Networks : From Devices to Infrastructure.” Accessed: Feb. 21, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://d.lib.msu.edu/etd/52469?__goaway_challenge=header-refresh&__goaway_id=6016e07b0087be3dff93b406a2c98e71&__goaway_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fd.lib.msu.edu%2F

Vladimir Shakhov, Nikolai Shakhov, “Novel Continuous-Time Markov Chain-Based Model for Performance Analysis of Hybrid Free Space Optics and Radio Frequency Communications,” Appl. Sci, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 1935, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/1935

S. Bi et al., “Resilience and Failure Analysis in Next-Generation Communication Networks: A Contemporary Survey,” IEEE Trans. Netw. Sci. Eng., vol. 13, pp. 2793–2821, 2026, doi: 10.1109/TNSE.2025.3620950.

David Olufemi, Ayodeji Olutosin Ejiade, Friday O. Ikwuogu, Phebe E Olufemi, “Securing Software-Defined Networks (SDN) Against Emerging Cyber Threats in 5G and Future Networks -A Comprehensive Review,” Int. J. Eng. Technol., vol. 14, no. 2, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389946028_Securing_Software-Defined_Networks_SDN_Against_Emerging_Cyber_Threats_in_5G_and_Future_Networks_-A_Comprehensive_Review

Pejman A. Karegar, Duaa Zuhair Al-Hamid, Peter Han Joo Chong, “UAV-enabled software defined data collection from an adaptive WSN,” Wirel. Networks, vol. 31, pp. 69–90, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11276-024-03744-y

N. B. Raut and S. Thangavelu, “Energy-Efficient Sleep Wake-Up Mechanism Based Routing Protocol Using Siamese Network and Optimized Fuzzy Interference System in Green IoT,” Int. J. Commun. Syst., vol. 38, no. 13, p. e70193, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1002/dac.70193.

B. Ramesh, C Mahesh, R. Sabitha, V.Priya, “Advances in Software-Defined Wireless Networks (SDWN): Solutions for Flexible and Scalable Communication,” Natl. J. Antennas Propagation, vol. 7, no. 1, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://antennajournal.com/index.php/antenna/article/view/177

A. Rahman et al., “Impacts of blockchain in software-defined Internet of Things ecosystem with Network Function Virtualization for smart applications: Present perspectives and future directions,” Int. J. Commun. Syst., vol. 38, no. 1, p. e5429, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1002/dac.5429.

O. A. Razzaq, “Enhancing IoT-based wireless sensor network security with cryptographic techniques,” J. Discret. Math. Sci. Cryptogr., vol. 28, no. 4-A, pp. 1117–1130, Jun. 2025, doi: 10.47974/JDMSC-2102.

Y. Bian, J. Cao, C. He, F. Liu, and Y. Guo, “Review of research on network reliability from the perspective of management science,” IET Conf. Proc., vol. 2025, no. 35, pp. 302–310, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1049/icp.2025.3424.

Radheshyam Singh, Line M.P. Larsen, “Enabling Green Cellular Networks: A Review and Proposal Leveraging Software-Defined Networking, Network Function Virtualization, and Cloud-Radio Access Network,” Futur. Internet, vol. 17, no. 4, p. 161, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/4/161

Lakhal, H., Zegrari, M., Bahnasse, A, “Next-Generation Smart Grid Cybersecurity: A Systematic Review of OT Cyber Threats, AI-Driven Defense, Cyber Deception Techniques, and Emerging Security Strategies,” IEEE Access, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11208597

K. D. Umakant Kulkarni, “Maestro: QoE-Aware Dynamic Resource Allocation in Wi-Fi Networks,” Proc. ACM Netw., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–24, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3709371

J. Poorvi, A. Kalita, and M. Gurusamy, “Reliable and Efficient Data Collection in UAV-Based IoT Networks,” IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutorials, vol. 28, pp. 2531–2571, 2026, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2025.3550274.

Harold Owens, Arjan Durresi, “Video over Software-Defined Networking (VSDN),” Comput. Networks, vol. 92, no. 2, pp. 341–356, 2015, [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389128615003199

S. Moazzeni, M. R. Khayyambashi, and N. Movahhedinia, “Improving the Reliability of Software-Defined Networks with Distributed Controllers Through Leader Election Algorithm and Colored Petri-Net,” Wirel. Pers. Commun., vol. 109, no. 1, pp. 645–656, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.1007/S11277-019-06583-9.

M. Farhan, L. Wang, N. Shah, H. Sidaq, B. Khan, and G. M. Muntean, “ReCAP: Reliability–Capacity Aware Joint Controller Placement and Routing Using a Hybrid AI Approach,” IEEE Trans. Reliab., vol. 74, no. 4, pp. 5686–5700, 2025, doi: 10.1109/TR.2025.3585239.

Ahmad Jalili, “Enhancing Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Resilience against Cyberattacks: A Markov Model-Based Approach,” Int. J. Web Res., vol. 8, no. 2, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://ijwr.usc.ac.ir/article_221374.html

C. H. Huang, K. H. Chang, C. H. Liu, T. Y. Chang, and Y. K. Lin, “Network reliability analysis on casualty rescue for natural disaster evaluation,” Ann. Oper. Res. 2023 3481, vol. 348, no. 1, pp. 399–419, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s10479-023-05226-4.

P. Ohri, A. Daniel, S. G. Neogi, and S. K. Muttoo, “Blockchain-based security framework for mitigating network attacks in multi-SDN controller environment,” Int. J. Inf. Technol. 2024 179, vol. 17, no. 9, pp. 5591–5603, Jun. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s41870-024-01933-8.

S. Troia, L. Borgianni, G. Sguotti, S. Giordano, and G. Maier, “A Comprehensive Survey on Software-Defined Wide Area Network,” IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutorials, vol. 28, pp. 2805–2845, 2026, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2025.3594678.

T. Darwish, T. A. Alhaj, and F. A. Elhaj, “Controller placement in software defined emerging networks: a review and future directions,” Telecommun. Syst. 2025 881, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 18-, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1007/s11235-024-01252-0.

Q. M. Nguyen and E. Modiano, “Optimal Control for Distributed Wireless SDN: Theory and Architecture,” IEEE Trans. Netw., vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 2131–2147, 2025, doi: 10.1109/TON.2025.3560605.

J. Li, F. De Marchi, Y. Lei, R. Joshi, B. Chandrasekaran, and Y. Xia, “Unlocking Diversity of Fast-Switched Optical Data Center Networks With Unified Routing,” IEEE Trans. Netw., vol. 34, pp. 33–48, 2026, doi: 10.1109/TON.2025.3590083.