NOVN: named-object based virtual network architecture

Abstract

This paper presents NOVN: a novel network virtualization framework aimed at providing an efficient and low overhead solution for deploying Virtual Networks (VNs) based on the concept of named-objects. Name based communication paradigms, realized by separating object names and network addresses through a logically centralized globally distributed Name Resolution Service (NRS), can be used to build a natural and efficient architecture for virtual networks. The proposed VN framework exploits the name based abstraction to create customized networking for distributed services which benefit from an awareness of network topology and routing. A specific example of edge cloud computing is presented in which VN's are used to realize "application specific routing" (ASR) for efficiently connecting users with cloud resources. Experimental results are presented for validation of the proposed VN architecture using a software router implementation running on the ORBIT testbed. The results validate the feasibility of the named-object approach, showing minimal VN processing, control overhead, and latency. The results also validate application aware ASR routing functionality for an example latency constrained edge cloud service scenario.