XTC: A Throughput Control Mechanism for Xen-Based Virtualized Software Routers

Xen is a tool for hardware virtualization often used to build virtual routers. Xen, however, does not assure the fundamental requirement of network isolation among these routers. This work proposes XTC (Xen Throughput Control) to fill this gap, and therefore, to guarantee multiple network coexistence without interference. XTC sets the amount of CPU allocated to each virtual router according to the maximum throughput allowed. Xen behavior is modeled by using experimental data, and based on these data, XTC is designed using feedback control. Results obtained in a testbed demonstrate the XTC ability to isolate virtual network capacities and to adapt to system changes.