A method implemented by a network controller, comprising receiving an address filter from a service chain orchestrator, wherein the address filter comprises a plurality of service instance (SI) addresses associated with a plurality of SIs in a network, obtaining network topology information from a plurality of service function (SF) forwarders controlled by the network controller, wherein the network topology information indicates a plurality of network devices communicatively coupled to the plurality of controlled SF forwarders, and wherein at least some of the network devices are SI hosting devices, and generating a service chain topology map by building mappings between at least some of the plurality of controlled SF forwarders, the SI hosting devices, and the plurality of SIs according to the network topology information and the address filter.