Software-defined vehicular network (SDVN): A survey on architecture and routing

With the advances in automotive industry and telecommunication technologies, more and more vehicles are connected which paves the pathway to future intelligent transportation system (ITS). The safety of both the passengers and pedestrians has been a major concern in ITS. Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a promising technology that can provide a wide range of services, such as safety, convenience, and infotainment for both the passengers and drivers. However, due to the dynamic nature of the vehicular environment, VANET has to deal with several challenges such as intermittent connectivity, provisioning of quality of service (QoS), and heterogeneity of applications. Moreover, the deployment of new services/protocols on a large-scale is a daunting task due to the inflexible architecture of VANET. The distinctive features of software-defined vehicular network (SDVN) such as programmability and flexibility leverages the vehicular network to satisfy the performance and management requirements of VANET. In this paper, we first present the taxonomy of SDVN architecture based on its modes of operation. Then we survey the state-of-the-art SDVN routing protocols and classify them based on different criteria. Finally, we highlight the challenges of current SDVNs.