A Framework for the establishment of inter-domain, on-demand VPNs

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are a popular and cost-effective means to build wide-area corporate networks, since they provide bandwidth, privacy and security for a fraction of the cost of private networks. However, establishing VPNs across different domains (inter-domain VPNs) is still a cumbersome task, requiring human- based negotiation between involved carriers, manual configuration of network equipment and inefficient exploitation procedures during the whole VPN life cycle. For these reasons, inter-domain VPNs are usually contracted in a long-term basis and thus appropriate only for a limited set of usage scenarios. In this paper we propose a framework for efficient provisioning of inter-domain VPNs, comprising a business layer for inter-carrier negotiation and orchestration, policy-based mechanisms for intra-domain resource management, and RFC 4364-based mechanisms for configuration of VPNs. This framework will allow ISPs to provide much more elastic VPN services, able to support not only traditional VPNs (contracted for long periods, for interconnection of corporate networks) but also a new class of more granular, on-demand VPNs for support of shorter-term services such as videoconference sessions or internet banking transaction.