Virtual Routers: A Technology for Enabling Internet Innovation

在这个项目中，我们提出设计和实现虚拟路由器。路由器是实现和协调互联网中数据移动的基本构建块。在大多数情况下，路由器供应商都非常保守，并且由于路由器软件市场是封闭的（来自一个供应商的路由器只能运行该供应商的软件），通过初创公司的常规渠道进行创新的潜力很小。我们的目标是改变这一现状。虚拟路由器基本上有两种定义：1一个单一的硬件平台，同时执行多个独立路由器的角色。2多个硬件平台一致行动，共同履行单一路由器的角色。我们计划研究这两种类型的虚拟路由器。虚拟路由器准备提供广泛的潜在好处。所有用户都将受益于通过硬件平台共享降低的成本，以及轻松快速地适应不断变化的网络需求的方法。廉价外包路由器管理的可能性对许多用户来说也可能是一个显著的好处。这将创造新的商机，因为路由器逻辑和硬件平台的解耦非常适合网络服务的外包，同时为网络接入服务提供商降低投资和维护成本。虚拟路由平台将使接入网的高性能、高可靠性、高性能、高性能、高可靠性、高性能、低成本、高性能、高性能、高可靠性成为可能。通过使用便宜、容易获得并且通常对需求过剩的设备，性能和弹性路由设备更加可负担得起。该体系结构固有的巨大灵活性将允许以前可能过于昂贵的路由器应用程序，或容易地允许额外的CPU资源作为负载需求提供。网络提供商将受益于虚拟路由器平台促进的新网络服务和协议的轻松部署，沿着实现增强的网络维护的可能性，通过硬件共享、虚拟路由器重新定位和路由集群，以更低的成本实现恢复和升级。研究和教育界也将受益于一个廉价而灵活的平台，从而能够进行大规模网络实验。

In this project, we propose to design and implement virtual routers. Routers are the fundamental building blocks that enable and orchestrate the movement of data in the Internet.For the most part the router vendors have been extremely conservative, and as the router software market is a closed one (a router from one vendor only runs that vendor's software), there is little potential for innovation through the usual channel of start-up companies. Our goal is to shake up this status quo.There are essentially two definitions of a virtual router:1 A single hardware platform simultaneously performing the roles of multiple independent routers.2 Multiple hardware platforms acting in unison to collectively fulfill the role of a single router.We plan to examine both types of virtual routers.Virtual routers are poised to offer a wide range of potential benefits. All users will benefit from reduced cost through hardware platform sharing and a means to easily and quickly adapt to ever evolving networking needs. The possibility of cheap outsourced router management may also be a significant benefit for many users.This will create new business opportunities, as the decoupling of router logic and hardware platform is ideal for the outsourcing of network services, while minimizing investment and maintenance cost for the network access service provider.The virtual routing platform will make access to high-performance and resilient routing devices much more affordable through the use of cheap, readily available, and often surplus to requirement equipment. The great flexibility inherent in the architecture will permit router applications that might previously have been too expensive, or readily permit additional CPU resources to be provided as load demands.Network providers will benefit from the ease of deployment of new network services and protocols that the virtual router platform facilitates, along with the possibility to achieve enhanced network maintenance, resilience and upgrade at reduced cost through hardware sharing, virtual router relocation and routing clusters.The research and education community will also benefit from the availability of a cheap and flexible platform enabling large-scale networking experiments.