A method for monitoring, by a presence service, a presence status of a network entity in a software defined network (SDN), wherein the SDN includes one or more forwarding elements configured to recognize and apply one or more actions on forwarded packets, includes receiving a subscription request including a network entity identifier for the network entity and creating one or more entries for the network entity in one or more monitored entries data structures. The one or more entries for the network entity include the presence status of the network entity. The method further includes discovering, via an edge switch, the network entity, setting, in response to the discovering, the presence status of the network entity as online, and installing an absence detection flow table entry at the edge switch.