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 concur-rent 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 signifi-cant problem for research in the field of virtual network ar-chitectures. 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 uti-lizing OpenFlow enabled hardware as a fast, programmable forwarding plane