Time-sensitive software defined networking

A time-sensitive software-defined network (TsSDN) controller executing on one or more distributed hardware and configured to perform a method for determining the shortest path from a talker device to a listener device through a TsSDN, comprising:

• assigning a cost to each link between adjacent devices in one or more paths in a TsSDN through which traffic from a talker device can be routed to a listener device;
• determining, based on the cost of links, a first path that is the shortest path for routing traffic from the talker device to the listener device, wherein the shortest path has the lowest cost;
• detecting a change in one or more parameters associated with at least one link in the one or more paths, wherein the one or more parameters includes load;
• responsive to detecting the change, dynamically recalculating the cost of links;
• and
• determining from the recalculated cost of links a second path as the shortest path for routing traffic from the talker device to the listener device through the network;
• wherein the plurality of network devices include time-sensitive and non-time-sensitive network devices, further comprising determining the traffic from the talker device to be time-sensitive or non-time-sensitive,
• wherein the shortest path from the talker device to the listener device is through only the time-sensitive network devices when the traffic from the talker device is determined to be time-sensitive, and
• wherein the shortest path from the talker device to the listener device is through only the non-time-sensitive network devices when the traffic from the talker device is determined to be non-time-sensitive.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction which when executed by one or more machines causes the machines to perform a method for determining the shortest path from a talker device to a listener device through a time-sensitive software-defined network (TsSDN), comprising:

• assigning a cost to each link between adjacent devices in one or more paths in a TsSDN through which traffic from a talker device can be routed to a listener device;
• determining, based on the cost of links, a first path that is the shortest path for routing traffic from the talker device to the listener device, wherein the shortest path has the lowest cost;
• detecting a change in one or more parameters associated with at least one link in the one or more paths, wherein the one or more parameters includes load;
• responsive to detecting the change, dynamically recalculating the cost of links;
• and
• determining from the recalculated cost of links a second path as the shortest path for routing traffic from the talker device to the listener device through the network;
• wherein the plurality of network devices include time-sensitive and non-time-sensitive network devices;
• further comprising determining the traffic from the talker device to be time-sensitive or non-time-sensitive,
• wherein the shortest path from the talker device to the listener device is through only the time-sensitive network devices when the traffic from the talker device is determined to be time-sensitive, and
• wherein the shortest path from the talker device to the listener device is through only the non-time-sensitive network devices when the traffic from the talker device is determined to be non-time-sensitive.