SD-CRN: Software Defined Cognitive Radio Network Framework

Software defined networking SDN provides a novel network resource management framework that overcomes several challenges related to network resources management. On the other hand, Cognitive Radio CR technology is a promising paradigm for addressing the spectrum scarcity problem through efficient dynamic spectrum access DSA. In this paper, the authors introduce a virtualization based SDN resource management framework for cognitive radio networks CRNs. The framework uses the concept of multilayer hypervisors for efficient resources allocation. It also introduces a semi-decentralized control scheme that allows the CRN Base Station BS to delegate some of the management responsibilities to the network users. The main objective of the proposed framework is to reduce the CR users' reliance on the CRN BS and physical network resources while improving the network performance by reducing the control overhead.