The Implementation of Virtualization
in Data Plane of ForCES
Zou Xi, Gao Ming
College of Information & Electronic Engineering
Zhejiang Gongshang University
No.18, Xuezheng Str., Xiasha University Town, Hangzhou,
P.R. China, 310018
Email: 387974178@qq.co m
Yining Wang, Chunming Wu
College of Computer Science and Technology
Zhejiang Univers ity
Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China, 310007
Email: 3110102753@qq.co m
Abstract—The emergence of network virtualization solves the
problem of ossification. At the same time, it provides endless
possibilities for the innovations of the network architecture. As a
result, it has attracted the attention of the next generation
Internet architecture. Therefore this paper based on the
architecture of ForCES to explore the implementation of the data
plane virtualization and provide the framework for virtualization
platform via the method. Meanwhile, in the premise of meeting
the requirements which the virtual network packet has enough
processing capacity. For the sake of solving the allocation of FE
resource in virtual network (Forwarding Element, FE). To make
the number of FE an d the utilization of FE more reasonable. This
paper puts forward a kind of FE resource allocation algorithm
based on twice i terati on subtracti on. We use Cli ck Modular
Router as the data plane processing engine, then we give the
virtual method to realize data plane and explain that supporting
multiple virtual network and the virtualization of FE can provide
more flexibility for processing data packets.
Keywords—Fo rCES ; network virtualization; resource
allocation;
I. INTRODUCTION
Because of the unprecedented challenges in innovation,
expansibility and management the traditional Internet has faced
now. The problem about ossification is completely unmasked
[1].For example, the existing framework cannot solve the
conflict between the network performance and expansibility;
it’s unable to adapt to the need of emerging technologies in
network; it also can’t satisfy the development of diversified
business and sustainable social demands. How to carry out the
technical innovation on the Internet in the case of the existing
network architecture, what’s more, it must do not affect the
daily use of the Internet. And now it has become a research
hotspot.
With the new network architecture represented by
Openflow[2] has become a hot spot, more and more
researchers pay attention to network virtualization based on the
separation of control plane and data plane. Through the long-
term research, we found that the flexible architecture design in
ForCES (Forwarding and Control Element Separation)
emphasizing the Loose coupling relationship between the
Control Element (Control Element, CE) and the Forwarding
Element (Forwarding Element, FE). This happen to hold the
same view with node virtualization research in Network
virtualization. It is based on this point, we study how to
implement the node virtualization through the extension of
ForCES and then realize the virtualization of the whole
network. More coincidence is almost at the same time, IETF
ForCES working group has also launched the discussion about
“The effect of FEM and CEM in network virtualization”.
IETF ForCES working group was established in 2001. The
group has completed the ForCES demand analysis [4], the
definition of the basic framework of ForCES [5], the definition
of the model of FE [6], LFB library [7] and MIB library [8].
Now the group is devoted to promoting the research on the key
technology of SDN based on ForCES. The core idea of
ForCES technology is that the control plane and the data plane
are separated from the traditional network equipment. To
ensure that the network operator can flexibly recombine all
functions of module and meet the different needs of the
business, achieve the open and reconfigurable goal, the data
plane should made the resource more modular and more
standardized.
A network equipment which follows the rule of ForCES
architecture is defined as the ForCES network element
(Network Element, NE). A ForCES network includes a control
element (Control Element, CE) and a plurality of forwarding
element (Forwarding Element, FE), where CE also can have
more than one for the sake of redundancy. ForCES protocol [9]
provides information interaction between CE and FE. It is a
core protocol supporting ForCES forwarding element and
control element separation. RFC 5810 has defined the protocol
specification. The internal structure of FE was defined by the
model of ForCES FE protocol (RFC 5812). FE is mainly
responsible for the rapid processing of data packet, such as
packet encapsulation, classification, look-up table and
scheduling, ForCES uses the modular idea to regard the
hardware and software resources which completed these
actions in FE as a series of logical function blocks (Logical
Function Block, LFB). Each LFB is composed by five part,
input, output, properties, ability an d events . Where input and
output are the channel between LFB to make data pass in and
out, and they have been determining the connection between
LF B㧘 the sum of connections have formed a set of FE-Intra
topology. In contrast with the attention on the dynamic
configuration of FE-Inter topological, FE model also focuses
on dynamic FE-Intra topology. By controlling the ForCES
protocol messages, and combining the different functions of
2015 Seventh International Symposium on Parallel Architectures, Algorithms and Programming
2168-3042/15 $31.00 © 2015 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/PAAP.2015.29
104
2015 Seventh International Symposium on Parallel Architectures, Algorithms and Programming
2168-3042/15 $31.00 © 2015 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/PAAP.2015.29
104
2015 Seventh International Symposium on Parallel Architectures, Algorithms and Programming
2168-3042/15 $31.00 © 2015 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/PAAP.2015.29
104