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This project aims to use an SDN controller (Ryu) and a physical OpenFlow SDN switch (Zodiac FX) to monitor Netflix usage among one or more users. A rough overview of the project is detailed below.
The setup is as follows:
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Note 1: In some large establishments (eg. universities), it may be their policy to avoid having multiple users (i.e. multiple MAC addresses) connected to the same ethernet port. Thus, a switch would end up being blocked if connected directly. However, using a router in between the switch and the ethernet port can overcome this problem as the router would be seen only as one MAC address._
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Note 2: Using a second router increases the number of users that can be connected instead of being limited by the number of ports on the Zodiac FX switch. Also, it simplifies the code that needs to be written on the Zodiac FX._
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Note 3: The second router (right) has DHCP disabled to avoid double NAT which could be a problem while trying to stream Netflix. With single NAT, the user would be assigned an IP address by the first router (which has DHCP enabled)._
Before we begin, the Zodiac FX must be configured (this can be done by accessing the CLI using a serial communication tool like minicom). While configuring the Zodiac FX, keep in mind that:
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The Controller IP address must point to the IP address of the computer running RYU.
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The Gateway IP must be set to the IP address of the first router (i.e. the router connected directly to the ethernet wall port)
The code is separately described on the Code page.
- The code can be tweaked to include IP ranges for other popular video streaming sites like YouTube.
- It can be scaled up and used by ISPs on a large scale with industrial-grade OpenFlow switches to monitor Netflix traffic, and help guide business decisions around upgrading infrastructure for video streaming.
- With more stable firmware revisions for the Zodiac, it can easily be used in a home environment to monitor usage of certain websites.