Method and system of forming a mobile virtual network

• US 9,705,704 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Houston System, Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: University of Houston System, Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: So, Ning, Fumagalli, Andrea, Chen, Yuhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMPTON, TARELL A
• Application Number:
  US13/349,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20130182606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

An approach is provided for creating a mobile virtual network. A virtual network is created to include a plurality of mobile virtual routers. A determination is made whether the virtual network has sufficient resources to satisfy a dynamic virtual network requirement. The size of the virtual network is adjusted based on the determination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a virtual network that includes a plurality of mobile virtual routers deployed on a physical routing network including a plurality of physical routers;

provisioning, by a dynamic virtual gateway, a control plane instance, a forwarding plane instance, and a management plane instance across physical resources of a first set of the plurality of physical routers, such that control plane resources, forwarding plane resources, and management plane resources that are shared across the plurality of physical routers hosting the plurality of mobile virtual routers, function as a single mobile virtual router of the virtual network, wherein the virtual network is overlaid onto at least a part of the physical routing network;

determining whether the virtual network has sufficient network resources to satisfy a dynamic virtual network requirement associated with a network event; and

adjusting, based on determining that the virtual network does not have the sufficient network resources, a configuration of the virtual network, wherein the configuration of the virtual network includes the number of mobile virtual routers, and wherein adjusting the configuration of the virtual network includes decentralizing the control plane resources, the forwarding plane resources, and the management plane resources to alter a topology of the virtual network without disruption to users of the network resources, the decentralizing including;

replicating the control plane instance, the forwarding plane instance, and the management plane instance across shared physical resources of a second set of the plurality of physical routers, and

restricting activation of the control plane instance, the forwarding plane instance, and the management plane instance to the second set of the plurality of physical routers.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control plane resources include a central processing unit and a memory, and the forwarding plane resources include an interface card and a backplane card.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from an initiator, a virtual network creation request at the dynamic virtual network gateway; and

using, by the dynamic virtual network gateway, a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) to exchange information with the initiator, wherein the APIs include;

information associated with the initiator,

information associated with a usage of the virtual network, and

information associated with a network requirement of the usage.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining physical and/or logical homing connectivity of user devices with the dynamic network gateway.

5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

accessing a database that stores state information for the virtual network to determine a current network condition profile of the virtual network; and

negotiating a modification of the request based on the current network condition profile.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the network event, wherein the creating the virtual network is in response to the detected network event.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the adjusting the configuration of the virtual network includes matching the virtual network to a mobility pattern of a plurality of applications executing on a plurality of user devices situated correspondingly at a plurality of geographic locations.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the network event requires network resources including bandwidth, network performance, a level of security, or a combination thereof above one or more thresholds.

21. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the network event,

wherein the network event includes physical location changes to the users of the virtual network, network usage requirements, or a combination thereof.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

create a virtual network that includes a plurality of mobile virtual routers deployed on a physical routing network including a plurality of physical routers,

provision, by a dynamic virtual gateway, a control plane instance, a forwarding plane instance, and a management plane instance across physical resources of a first set of the plurality of physical routers, such that control plane resources, forwarding plane resources, and management plane resources that are shared across the plurality of physical routers hosting the plurality of mobile virtual routers function as a single mobile virtual router of the virtual network, wherein the virtual network is overlaid onto at least a part of the physical routing network,

determine whether the virtual network has sufficient network resources to satisfy a dynamic virtual network requirement associated with a network event,

adjust, based on determining that the virtual network does not have the sufficient network resources, a configuration of the virtual network to decentralize the control plane resources, the forwarding plane resources, and the management plane resources to alter a topology of the virtual network without disruption to users of the network resources, wherein the configuration of the virtual network includes the number of mobile virtual routers,

replicate the control plane instance, the forwarding plane instance, and the management plane instance across shared physical resources of a second set of the plurality of physical routers, and

restrict activation of the control plane instance, the forwarding plane instance, and the management plane instance to the second set of the plurality of physical routers.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control plane resources include a central processing unit and a memory, and the forwarding plane resources include an interface card and a backplane card.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receive, from an initiator, a virtual network creation request at the dynamic virtual network gateway using a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) to exchange information with the initiator, wherein the APIs include;

information associated with the initiator,

information associated with a usage of the virtual network, and

information associated with a network requirement of the usage.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine physical and/or logical homing connectivity of user devices with the dynamic virtual network gateway.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

access a database that stores state information for the virtual network to determine a current network condition profile of the virtual network; and

negotiate a modification of the request based on the current network condition profile.

14. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

detect the network event, wherein the virtual network is created as a customized network in response to the detected network event.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein to adjust the configuration of the virtual network the apparatus is further caused to match the virtual network to a mobility pattern of a plurality of applications executing on a plurality of user devices situated correspondingly at a plurality of geographic locations.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the network event requires the network resources to include bandwidth, network performance, a level of security, or a combination thereof above one or more thresholds.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of mobile virtual routers, overlaid onto a plurality of physical routers residing on a physical routing network, forming a virtual network,

wherein each of the mobile virtual routers includes a control plane instance, a forwarding plane instance, and a management plane instance provisioned across physical resources of a first set of the plurality of physical routers;

each of the instances sharing control plane resources, forwarding plane resources, and management plane resources across the first set of the plurality of physical routers; and

a dynamic virtual network gateway configured to;

communicate with one or more of the mobile virtual routers,

determine that the virtual network does not have sufficient network resources to satisfy a dynamic virtual network requirement associated with a network event, and

adjust a configuration of the virtual network to decentralize the control plane resources, the forwarding plane resources, and the management plane resources to alter a topology of the virtual network without disruption to users of the network resources, based on the determination,

wherein the configuration of the virtual network includes the number of mobile virtual routers,

wherein a single mobile virtual router of the virtual network shares physical resources across the first set of the plurality of physical routers such that the first set of physical routers function as the single mobile virtual router, and

wherein adjusting the configuration of the virtual network includes;

replicating the control plane instance, the forwarding plane instance, and the management plane instance across shared physical resources of a second set of the plurality of physical routers, and

restricting activation of the control plane instance, the forwarding plane instance, and the management plane instance to the second set of the plurality of physical routers.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the dynamic virtual network gateway is further configured to:

receive a virtual network creation request from an initiator, and

use a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) to exchange information with the initiator, wherein the APIs include;

information associated with the initiator,

information associated with a usage of the virtual network, and

information associated with a network requirement for the usage.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein a determination is made of physical and/or logical homing connectivity of user devices with the dynamic virtual network gateway.

20. A system according to claim 18, further comprising:

a database configured to store a current network condition profile of the virtual network,

wherein the dynamic virtual network gateway is further configured to negotiate a modification of the request based on the current network condition profile.