A framework for multi‐provider virtual private networks in software‐defined federated networks

• Published in: International journal of network management Vol. 30; no. 6
• Main Authors: Mostafaei, Habib, Lospoto, Gabriele, Di Lallo, Roberto, Rimondini, Massimo, Di Battista, Giuseppe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-11-2020
• Subjects: Cloud computing; Computer architecture; Impact analysis; Software-defined networking; Virtual networks; Virtual private networks
• ISSN: 1055-7148; 1099-1190
• DOI: 10.1002/nem.2116

Summary
Federated networks represent a remunerable operational way, allowing federated partners to increase their incomes through a sharing resource process. They have been primarily used in the context of cloud computing; nowadays, they are also used to provide connectivity services, like virtual private networks. However, providing such a service by using standard technologies in federated networks requires a nonnegligible effort from different points of view (e.g., configuration effort). In this paper, we propose an software‐defined network (SDN)–based framework aiming at overcoming limitations in currently adopted best practices to issue virtual private networks in federated networks. Relying on the SDN architecture, we propose a method allowing federated providers to quickly and easily create federated networks, reducing unneeded costs (e.g., new hardware), and a way for customers to fast‐access federated services, without any explicit actions from providers. We evaluate our framework by using SDNetkit. We focus on analyzing the impact of our implementation on both control and data plane, in terms of number of control messages exchanged in the network and size of the forwarding tables, respectively.
Federated networks represent a remunerable operational way allowing federated partners to increase their incomes through sharing their resources. We propose an software‐defined network (SDN)–based framework to overcome limitations in currently adopted best practices to issue virtual private networks in federated networks. We propose a method allowing federated providers to quickly and easily create federated networks, reducing unneeded costs (e.g., new hardware), and a way for customers to fast access federated services, without any explicit actions from providers.