An Open Router Virtualization Framework using a Programmable Forwarding Plane

Network virtualization promises to spur innovation and add flexibility to the Future Internet infrastructure. Routers supporting virtualization allow the deployment of concurrent virtual networks, and can be employed to consolidate resources and improve energy efficiency in data centers. The closed nature of commercial router systems poses a significant problem for research in the field of virtual network architectures. On the other hand, the performance of software based, open routing solutions is typically limited. In this work we outline an open router virtualization framework utilizing OpenFlow enabled hardware as a fast, programmable forwarding plane.