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，以支持移动通信，特别是端到端实时网络连接的高效透明迁移，而无需对现有网络协议进行任何更改。为此，提出了一种新的移动通信体系结构，称为虚拟网络地址转换(VNAT)，它使得从单个进程到整个主机的一系列计算单元的连接移动性成为可能。三种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)来虚拟化端到端传输连接标识。因此，连接标识不再依赖于较低层的网络端点，也不再受网络端点移动的影响。连接转换将虚拟连接标识转换为在物理网络上携带的物理连接标识。当连接在网络中迁移时，它们的虚拟标识永远不会改变。相反，它们根据端点对物理网络的连接被映射到适当的物理标识。最后，VNAT连接迁移保持状态并使用协议自动执行连接迁移任务，例如保持连接活动、建立安全密钥、定位迁移的端点(S)以及更新虚拟-物理端点映射。在本项目中，实施了VNAT架构，并且该架构与现有网络协议、操作系统或应用程序完全兼容，并且不需要对其进行任何修改。这项研究的结果将为未来移动网络研究的创新提供关键的网络机制，从而产生根本性的科学影响。

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.