AgentVisor: Agent-Based Network Hypervisor for Autonomic Network Virtualization

A network hypervisor is a novel solution for network virtualization that allows the dynamic creation of virtual networks to facilitate independent business solutions to numerous tenants over a shared network infrastructure. This article proposes an agent-based network hypervisor (AgentVisor) architecture that virtualizes controller agents, separated from tenants’ controllers, to support high levels of adaptation, automation and autonomy of virtual software-defined networking networks (vSDNs). The controller agents enable closed control loop automation of systematic data collection, data-driven decision-making and autonomic control actions for monitoring, configuration and fault handling of vSDNs without intervention of tenants’ controllers in a cloud/edge environment. The controller agent also offers an extended northbound interface with tenants’ controllers to support policy/intelligence management based on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Through controller agent virtualization, the proposed AgentVisor architecture enables a multiagent system of autonomic vSDNs that facilitate independent business solutions to different markets over a shared infrastructure for the vision of fifth generation (5G) and beyond.