Rethinking Virtual Network Embedding: Substrate Support for Path Splitting and Migration

Network virtualization is a powerful way to run multiple architectures or experiments simultaneously on a shared infrastructure. However, making efficient use of the underlying resources requires effective techniques for virtual network embedding - mapping each virtual network to specific nodes and links in the substrate network. Since the general embedding problem is computationally intractable, past research restricted the problem space to allow efficient solutions, or focused on designing heuristic algorithms. In this paper, we advocate a different approach: rethinking the design of the substrate network to enable simpler embedding algorithms and more efficient use of resources, without restricting the problem space. In particular, we simplify virtual link embedding by: i) allowing the substrate network to split a virtual link over multiple substrate paths and ii) employing path migration to periodically re-optimize the utilization of the substrate network. We also explore node-mapping algorithms that are customized to common classes of virtual-network topologies. Our simulation experiments show that path splitting, path migration,and customized embedding algorithms enable a substrate network to satisfy a much larger mix of virtual networks.