A virtual Router, or vRouter, replicates in software the functionality of a hardware-based Layer 3 IP router, which has traditionally used a dedicated hardware device. Virtual routers enable broadband service providers to replace expensive, proprietary hardware-centric routers with routing software that runs on commodity, x86 servers.
Service providers have traditionally built their network edge infrastructure with application-specific ASIC hardware routers. Unfortunately, these hardware-centric routers lack scalability and must be replaced when their capacity is reached. This is a significant problem, given the never-ending demand for more bandwidth from subscribers.
This bandwidth-demand evolution is driving the transition from inflexible hardware-based networks to more flexible software-based networks. If the most recent past is any indicator, network demand will always exceed expectations, and relying on a hardware-centric network model designed years ago for small increases in voice will not do.
Are Virtual Routers Now Ready for Prime Time?
Tom Nolle, well-known telecom commentator and President of industry analyst firm CIMI, recently stated, “All this application stuff swirling around the Internet and the cloud makes any fixed network strategy difficult. In fact, if you wanted to name a single trend to characterize 2023, you’d pick “virtual networking becomes networking.”
Some service providers are even using vRouters in their core network. Tom Satterlee, AT&T Vice President, Network Core Infrastructure Services, said in a blog “Data demands would increase faster than the network could grow if we stuck with the traditional, hardware-centric approach. As 4G took off and fiber and 5G were next up, our vision was of a software-centric model that put customers first. Moving control of the network from hardware to software also meant we needed to look beyond the conventional way of using proprietary, “locked” equipment from a single vendor to instead using decoupled, “open” components that can be stacked into one switching and routing platform.”
Virtual Router Use Cases
The ability of virtual routers to easily and rapidly scale up bandwidth makes them ideal for the service provider’s network edge. Running on commodity hardware, virtual routers deliver maximum flexibility while lowering costs and eliminating vendor lock-in. Cost savings include much lower hardware costs (up to 70%) and significantly fewer installations/truck rolls.
A popular use case is a virtual router deployed as a broadband network gateway (BNG). The BNG is a critical network component and the access point for individuals (subscribers) to connect to the broadband network. The BNG aggregates traffic from many subscribers and routes it to the service provider’s network. Once connected, a subscriber can access broadband services provided by their provider.
What to Consider when Purchasing a Virtual Router
The legacy network model was to increase network capacity by adding physical (and usually proprietary) network appliances, which is time-consuming and costly and will not keep pace with exploding bandwidth demand and internet video traffic. Broadband service providers should evaluate vendors not tied to the traditional hardware-centric network model. The future of networking is software running on commodity servers, and service providers should look for virtual router solutions from companies with software and networking expertise.
Given the overwhelming growth in internet traffic, performance and scalability are key factors when evaluating virtual routers. Highly scalable virtual routers will typically capitalize on or build upon DPDK packet processing technology. Service providers should also look for virtual routers that can scale with additional cores, so if they need greater performance, they can simply add more cores. Software-based routers should also support advanced routing protocols.
netElastic Virtual Routers
Based on input from service providers large and small, netElastic virtual routers are built with a highly scalable network architecture with disaggregated control and data planes that can be scaled independently based on network and end-user demand. Broadband service providers can handle network traffic in the terabits with netElastic’s scalable network architecture.
netElastic also developed one of the first software-based (or virtual) BNG routers and is a market leader in vBNG technology. netElastic vBNG runs on standard Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, which provides the scalability to handle increased network traffic and the flexibility to change network capacity quickly. Given the insatiable demand for more bandwidth, the ability to scale up (and down) is critical. This also removes the need to upgrade hardware-based network infrastructure (forklift upgrades) continuously.
By disaggregating vBNG software from proprietary hardware, netElastic vBNG is also helping broadband providers save money. netElastic vBNG customers report saving up to 70% compared to their previous vendors.
To learn more, please read the white paper “Next Generation Routers, Preparing for the Exabyte Onslaught.”