NRS : a system for automated network virtualization in IaaS cloud infrastructures

Applications running in multi-tenant IaaS clouds increasingly require networked compute resources, which may belong to several clouds hosted in multiple data-centers. To accommodate these applications network virtualization is necessary, not only for isolation between tenants, but also for inter-cloud connectivity and efficient allocation and utilization of network resources. Data-centers currently deploy a variety of technologies to implement virtual networks. None of these, however, possess the automated configuration facilities needed to instantiate the intricate network structures required by IaaS cloud applications. In this paper we present NRS, a system developed at Nikhef that manages the data-center network to form virtual networks; these are provided on-demand to an IaaS cloud, thereby enabling Network-as-a-Service. NRS uses a central network controller approach that combines existing network technologies to provision isolated intra- and inter-data-center virtual networks, while attempting to utilize the underlying physical network in an optimal fashion.