On the design of scalable, selfconfiguring virtual networks

Virtual networks (VNs) provide methods that simplify re-source management, deal with connectivity constraints, and support legacy applications in distributed systems, by enabling global addressability of VN-connected machines through either a common layer 2 Ethernet or a NAT-free layer 3 IP network. This paper presents a novel VN design that supports dynamic, seamless addition of new resources with emphasis on scalability in a unified private IP address space. Key features of this system are: (1) Scalable con-nectivity via a P2P overlay with the ability to bypass over-lay routing in LAN communications, (2) support for static and dynamic address allocation in conjunction with virtual nameservers through a distributed data store, and (3) sup-port for transparent migration of IP endpoints across wide-area networks. The approach is validated by a prototype implementation which has been deployed in grid and cloud environments. We present both a quantitative and qualitative discussion of our findings. 1