Hybridtrace: A Traceroute Tool for Hybrid Networks Composed of SDN and Legacy Switches

Abstract

Traceroute is a very useful troubleshooting tool. It reveals the routing path taken by a packet destined to a remote host. Traceroute is originally designed for the legacy IP network. However, the mechanism used by it does not work in an SDN network. In an SDN network, there has been a similar tool called SDN traceroute that provides similar functions as traceroute. However, SDN traceroute does not work in the legacy IP network. Nowadays, hybrid networks composed of both legacy and SDN switches are expected to exist for several years during the transition period. For such a hybrid network, we design and implement a tool called hybridtrace that can reveal the routing path taken by a packet that needs to traverse multiple legacy network islands and SDN network islands to reach its destination. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of hybridtrace, show the path-tracing information provided by it, and demonstrate its functions and operations.