Network Virtualization and its Application to M2M Business

Transcription

1 Network Virtualization and its Application to M2M Business M2M Partner Event Dr. Markus Breitbach Deutsche Telekom, Group Technology Rotterdam, 2011/09/28 Image source:

2 The roots and branches of Network Virtualization Experimentation and test networks NEW Applicationspecific networks NEW Network as a Service NEW Overlay networks Virtual private networks (VPN) Software Defined Networks (SDN) NEW Virtual LAN (VLAN) Dt. Telekom IPTV Data center / office virtualization Virtual Links Virtual Machines 2

3 VLAN, VPN: Virtual Links allow only a partial Network Virtualization. Router Tunnel Gateway Switch VLANs split a LAN into several broadcast domains (same color above) VPN: Network that reproduces the properties of an actual private network using a shared public infrastructure *) Restricted to LAN topology Limitations in scalability Supporting Virtual Network users is difficult for a Telco network operator, if Virtual Network functionality is placed outside his own network. *) Source: 3

4 Virtualization of Routers and Switches SW-based functions Switch / router node Data Plane Control Plane Flow Table Proprietary, internal interface Open interface, based on OpenFlow / EVB / ForCES Ingress Traffic Pre- Proc. Switch Post- Proc. Egress Traffic HW-based functions Physical link Virtual links Routers and Switches can be virtualized by running separated instances of control plane functions in virtual machines. Main technologies are: EVB (IEEE802.1Qbg/h), OpenFlow / Flowvisor 4

5 Software Defined Networks (SDN): Combining Virtual Links and Virtual Nodes yields full Network Virtualization Virtual networks can have different control plane functionalities, even on the same network node One single physical platform supporting fully separated virtual networks Source: EU project 4WARD, deliverable D3.1.1 Isolation of traffic flows and control functions between virtual networks Network-specific design of topology, QoS, routing, Improved scalability compared to VPNs Virtual Network can be customized in many aspects Network operator can better support users of his Virtual Networks (as he manages the networks) Cost savings from operating a single network platform 5

6 Example M2M Retail & Commerce Security: Traffic isolation between Virtual Network and Internet as well as restricted Virtual Network connectivity can provide a certain level of security at low costs. Internet Network as a Service: M2M application provider can control and align data processing (in data center) and transmission to remote M2M devices. 6

7 Example M2M Energy Smart Grid Smart Homes, Smart Meters Energy suppliers Energy consumer Data Center Application-specific network design: Network control plane can be designed to e.g. support broadcast of messages from data center or energy suppliers to all metering devices in the virtual network. Security: Higher security by traffic isolation and restriction of VNet connectivity (in addition to conventional security measures) Network Integration: Integration of all fixed and mobile access technologies in a single virtual network can hide some technical differences. 7

8 Example M2M Health Application safety: Minimize mutual interactions between different health applications by isolating them in separate Virtual Networks => higher safety with less testing effort. Reliable end-to-end links: Router control plane can establish endto-end circuit-switched links, allowing to monitor closely the connection to the patient. Guaranteed resource availability: Limitation of traffic load in the e-health VNet can ensure low queuing delay. 8

9 Advantages of Network Virtualization for M2M Applications Advantages: Enhanced security Connectivity is restricted to a known set of virtual-network nodes Protection against unauthorized access Traffic is separated from the rest of the Internet Higher application stability with less testing effort Application-specific networks prevent mutual interactions between different application; this reduces complexity and simplifies testing Predictable performance (when combined to QoS mechanisms / SLAs): Bandwidth guarantees Predictable / low latency More flexibility to design network control and data transport Customer-specific transport protocols (on top of a common VNet data transport) Circuit-switching and multicast / broadcast possible (on top of a standard packet-switched network platform) Drawbacks: Additional functionality leads to adds complexity This should be an issue for the operator, not the customer Network performance can be lower (depends on resource allocation scheme) 9

10 Network Equipment and Design must fit to M2M Requirements In the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), equipment vendors, network operators and service providers jointly drive the evolution of network virtualization. First routers for fully virtualized networks are already available. Deutsche Telekom is committed to ONF as board member. Network design for M2M applications? Understanding M2M applications and their requirements is essential to ensure optimum support of these applications in future networks of Deutsche Telekom. 10

11 Summary Combining virtual links and virtual machine technologies opens up new opportunities in network design: Software Defined Networks. Benefits of fully virtualized networks may be enhanced security higher application stability at less testing effort predictable performance with respect to data rate / latency more flexibility to design customized networks (e.g. CS, multicast) Network equipment and network design is under development, and Network Virtualization is rapidly evolving. Feedback on requirements of M2M applications and optimum Virtual Networking support is highly appreciated. 11