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Time-based updates in software defined networks

Network configuration updates are a routine necessity, and must be performed in a way that minimizes transient effects caused by intermediate states of the network. This challenge is especially critical in Software Defined Networks, where the control plane is managed by a logically centralized controller, and configuration updates occur frequently. In this paper we discuss the tradeoff between maintaining consistency during configuration updates and the update performance. We introduce an approach that uses time to coordinate network configuration and reconfiguration. We show a simple time-based configuration approach called TIMECONF and show that this approach offers significant advantages over existing update approaches at the cost of a brief inconsistency. We also show that time can be used as a tool for simplifying existing update approaches without compromising consistency.