Network Virtualization Mechanisms for Mobile Communication

该项目的重点是创建和部署新的网络虚拟化机制，以支持移动的通信，特别是在不对现有网络协议进行任何更改的情况下，实现端到端实时网络连接的高效透明迁移。为此，提出了一种新的移动的通信体系结构，称为虚拟网络地址转换（VNAT），它使连接移动性的频谱计算单元，从一个单一的进程到整个主机。三个关键机制用于实现透明的实时连接移动性：连接虚拟化、连接转换和连接迁移。连接虚拟化通过使用虚拟端点而不是物理端点（例如，IP地址和端口号）。因此，连接标识不再依赖于较低层网络端点，并且不再受网络端点的移动的影响。连接转换将虚拟化连接标识转换成要在物理网络上携带的物理连接标识。当连接在网络上迁移时，它们的虚拟标识永远不会改变。相反，它们会根据端点与物理网络的连接映射到适当的物理标识。最后，VNAT连接迁移保留状态并使用协议来自动执行连接迁移任务，例如保持连接活跃、建立安全密钥、定位迁移的端点以及更新虚拟物理端点映射。在这个项目中，VNAT架构的实施，是完全兼容的，不需要任何修改，现有的网络协议，操作系统，或应用程序。这项研究的结果将通过为未来移动的网络研究的创新提供关键的网络机制，产生根本的科学影响。

This project focuses on creation and deployment of the new network virtualization mechanisms to support mobile communication and, in particular, efficient transparent migration of end-to-end live network connections without any changes to existing network protocols. To this aim, novel mobile communication architecture is proposed, called Virtual Network Address Translation (VNAT), which enables connection mobility for a spectrum of computation units, ranging from a single process to the entire host. Three key mechanisms are used to enable transparent live connection mobility: connection virtualization, connection translation, and connection migration. Connection virtualization virtualizes end-to-end transport connection identification by using virtual endpoints rather than physical endpoints (e.g., IP addresses and port numbers). As a result, connection identifications no longer depend on lower layer network endpoints and are no longer affected by the movement of network endpoints. Connection translation translates virtualized connection identifications into physical connection identifications to be carried on the physical network. As connections migrate across the network, their virtual identifications never change. Instead, they are mapped into appropriate physical identifications according to the endpoints' attachment to the physical network. Finally, VNAT connection migration keeps states and uses protocols to automate tasks for connection migration such as keeping connection alive, establishing a security key, locating migrated end-point (s), and updating virtual-physical endpoints mappings. In this project, the VNAT architecture is implemented and is fully compatible with, and does not require any modifications to, existing networking protocols, operating systems, or applications. The results of this research will have a fundamental scientific impact by providing crucial networking mechanisms for future innovations in mobile networking research.