Network Virtualization System Suite: Experimental Network Virtualization Platform

Network virtualization arises as a potential solution for addressing the current IP limitations through a non-disruptive route, by letting multiple networks, running different protocols, to coexist and share the same infrastructure in an independent way. The purpose of this paper is to make this coexistence of networks a reality through the real support of multiple virtual networks. Therefore, this paper presents the Network Virtualization System Suite (NVSS): an experimental platform that integrates the functions of virtual network mapping and creation, discovery, monitoring, and management in a user-friendly platform. This platform contains novel mechanisms for network discovery and mapping: a distributed discovery algorithm of both physical and virtual nodes, and a heuristic algorithm for virtual resources mapping in the physical infrastructure, supporting the different characteristics of both links and nodes. This virtualization platform is evaluated in different scenarios. The obtained results show the scalability and feasibility of the proposed mechanisms and functionalities (discovery, mapping and creation) in a single platform for network virtualization control and management.