Comparing FlowVisor and Open Virtex as SDN-Based Site-to-Site VPN Services Solution

Abstract

Site-to-Site Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a computer network technology made to establish secure and private data communication between geographically separated site for multiple tenants on the service provider network infrastructure, in a traditional network its implemented by using Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a computer network architecture, design and management paradigm, that is made for next generation computer networks and overcoming the limitation of the existing traditional computer networks. Like the traditional one, SDN-based computer network infrastructure are also able to run network various function including network virtualization. There are several SDN based network virtualization technology already available with different architecture and its own characteristics. This research will review and compare two network hypervisor software: FlowVisor and OpenVirtex as a base technology for site-to-site VPN implementation. An SDN network testbed deployed to test network virtualization functionality, firewall network function virtualization, network failover, network quality of services and traffic processing overhead in virtualized network infrastructure based on both software. SDN-based site-to-site VPN is more easily implemented rather than traditional site-to-site VPN. OpenVirtex promises as better future solution for SDN based virtualization solution rather than FlowVisor, but its still not reliable to implemented as a network virtualization solution in a real network infrastructure.