Distributed virtual system to support managed, network-based services

A virtual router (VR)-based switch comprising:

• a storage device having stored therein one or more routines of a network operating system (NOS) operable to create discrete customized services for subscribers of a service provider by providing the subscribers with different configurations of service object groups;
• one or more processors coupled to the storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines;
• a plurality of processing elements coupled to the storage device and the one or more processors, where
• resources of the VR-based switch are segmented between at least a first subscriber of the service provider and a second subscriber of the service provider by:
• instantiating a plurality of VRs within the VR-based switch;
• associating a first set of VRs of the plurality of VRs with the first subscriber;
• associating a second set of VRs of the plurality of VRs with the second subscriber;
• mapping the first set of VRs onto a first set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements;
• and
• mapping the second set of VRs onto a second set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements;
• a first set of customized services, including a plurality of firewalling, virtual private networking, encryption, traffic shaping, routing and network address translation (NAT), is configured to be provided by the VR-based switch on behalf of the first subscriber by creating a first service object group within the first set of VRs, the first service object group including a service object corresponding to each service of the first set of customized services and wherein each service object of the first service object group can be dynamically distributed by the NOS to customized processors of the first set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements to achieve desired computational support;
• and
• a second set of customized services, including a plurality of firewalling, virtual private networking, encryption, traffic shaping, routing and NAT, is configured to be provided by the VR-based switch on behalf of the second subscriber by creating a second service object group within the second set of VRs, the second service object group including a service object corresponding to each service of the second set of customized services and wherein each service object of the second service object group can be dynamically distributed by the NOS to customized processors of the second set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements to achieve desired computational support.

A computer-readable storage medium readable by one or more processing elements of a plurality of processing elements of a virtual router (VR)-based switch, the computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a set of instructions executable by one or more processors of the plurality of processing elements to perform method steps for creating discrete customized services for subscribers of a service provider by providing the subscribers with different configurations of service object groups, the method steps comprising:

• segmenting resources of the VR-based switch between at least a first subscriber of the service provider and a second subscriber of the service provider by:
• instantiating a plurality of VRs within the VR-based switch;
• associating a first set of VRs of the plurality of VRs with the first subscriber;
• associating a second set of VRs of the plurality of VRs with the second subscriber;
• mapping the first set of VRs onto a first set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements;
• and
• mapping the second set of VRs onto a second set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements;
• configuring a first set of customized services, including a plurality of firewalling, virtual private networking, encryption, traffic shaping, routing and network address translation (NAT), to be provided by the VR-based switch on behalf of the first subscriber by allocating a first service object group within the first set of VRs, the first service object group including a service object corresponding to each service of the first set of customized services and wherein each service object of the first service object group can be dynamically distributed to customized processors of the first set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements to achieve desired computational support;
• and
• configuring a second set of customized services, including a plurality of firewalling, virtual private networking, encryption, traffic shaping, routing and NAT, to be provided by the VR-based switch on behalf of the second subscriber by allocating a second service object group within the second set of VRs, the second service object group including a service object corresponding to each service of the second set of customized services and wherein each service object of the second service object group can be dynamically distributed to customized processors of the second set of one or more of the plurality of processing elements to achieve desired computational support.