Switching Coordinator: An SDN Application for Flexible QKD-Networks

Computer Science > Cryptography and Security [Submitted on 14 Mar 2026] Switching Coordinator: An SDN Application for Flexible QKD-Networks Rubén B. Mendez, Hans H. Brunner, Juan P. Brito, Hamid Taramit, Chi-Hang Fred Fung, Antonio Pastor, Rafael Cantó, Jesús Folgueira, Diego R. Lopez, Momtchil Peev, Vicente Martin A monitor and control framework for quantum-key-distribution (QKD) networks equipped with switching capabilities was developed. On the one hand, this framework provides real-time visibility into operational metrics. Specifically, it extracts essential data, such as the switching capabilities of QKD modules, the number of keys stored in buffer queues of the QKD links, and the respective key generation and consumption rates along these links. On the other hand, this framework allows software-defined networking (SDN) applications to operate on the collected information and address the cryptographic needs of the network. The SDN applications dynamically adapt the configuration of the switched network to align with its changing demands, e.g.,~prioritizing key availability on critical paths, responding to link failures, or reallocating generation capacity to prevent bottlenecks. This contribution demonstrates that the combination of switched QKD, centralized control, and global optimization strategies enables efficient, policy-driven operation of QKD networks. The cryptographic resources are allocated to maximize performance and resilience while remaining aligned with the specific policies set by network administrators. Subjects: Cryptography and Security (cs.CR) Cite as: arXiv:2603.13812 [cs.CR]   (or arXiv:2603.13812v1 [cs.CR] for this version)   https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.13812 Focus to learn more Journal reference: Entropy 2026, 28(2), 219 (https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/28/2/219) Related DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/e28020219 Focus to learn more Submission history From: Juan Pedro Brito Mendez [view email] [v1] Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:35:04 UTC (1,203 KB) Access Paper: HTML (experimental) view license Current browse context: cs.CR < prev   |   next > new | recent | 2026-03 Change to browse by: cs References & Citations NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar Export BibTeX Citation Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer (What is the Explorer?) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is Litmaps?) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations (What are Smart Citations?) Code, Data, Media Demos Related Papers About arXivLabs Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)