Wang, YuefengMatta, Ibrahim2017-03-152017-03-152014-07-16Wang, Yuefeng; Matta Ibrahim. "SDN Management Layer: Design Requirements and Future Direction" Technical Report BU-CS-TR 2014-006, Computer Science Department, Boston University, July 16, 2014. [Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/XXXXXX]https://hdl.handle.net/2144/20814Computer networks are becoming more and more complex and difficult to manage. The research community has been expending a lot of efforts to come up with a general management paradigm that is able to hide the details of the physical infrastructure and enable flexible network management. Software Defined Networking (SDN) is such a paradigm that simplifies network management and enables network innovations. In this survey paper, by reviewing existing SDN management layers (platforms), we identify the general common management architecture for SDN networks, and further identify the design requirements of the management layer that is at the core of the architecture. We also point out open issues and weaknesses of existing SDN management layers. We conclude with a promising future direction for improving the SDN management layer.en-USComputer networksSDN networksTechnical Report