Virtual network provisioning over multi-line rate networks with fixed or flexible grid

Network virtualization is considered one of the key technologies to provide the flexibility and isolation that cloud computing services require. In this paper, new algorithms for efficient virtual network provisioning over muti-line rate networks, with fixed-grid and flexible grid, are proposed. Both algorithms aim at efficiently use the resources of the physical network by prioritizing the mapping of virtual links (instead of the virtual nodes) and mapping the virtual nodes located at the extreme of each virtual link in such a way that the closest possible physical nodes are selected to establish them. By means of simulation we evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms with both fixed and flex-grid. We show the better blocking performance of flexible grid networks, the benefit of revisitation and that physical impairments of multi-line rate networks might be a dominant contribution to the blocking of 40/100 Gbps virtual networks.