The Internet2 this week said it can now demonstrate a nationwide virtualized multitenant network that operates as multiple discrete, private networks.
Virtualization allows Internet2 to be partitioned into isolated "slices" that can accomodate multiple users and their applications, as if they had their own private network. This advancement is enabled by Internet2's use of 100G speeds and software-defined networking, the organization says.
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New software, called "FlowSpace Firewall," has been installed in the Internet2 production network allowing slices of OpenFlow capabilities to be partitioned across nearly forty 100G-attached access nodes throughout the country. This software protects each network slice from overconsumption of resources by other slices, Internet2 says.
FlowSpace Firewall is now available to support the work of the research and education community's data-intensive science and academic operations, the organization says. Several research collaborations have announced their intentions to build large-scale production cloud computing, next-generation IP and peering fabrics in virtual slices of the Internet2 network, Internet2 says.
Two are Chameleon and CloudLab. These researchers were each awarded $10 million projects by the National Science Foundation to experiment with cloud computing architectures that can support applications used in medical devices, power grids, and transportation systems.
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