ExoGENI: A multi-domain infrastructure-as-a-service testbed
This chapter describes ExoGENI, a multi-domain testbed infrastructure built using the ORCA control framework. ExoGENI links GENI to two advances in virtual infrastructure (IaaS) services outside of GENI: open cloud computing (OpenStack) and dynamic circuit fabrics. It orchestrates a federation of independent cloud sites and circuit providers through their native IaaS interfaces, and links them to other GENI tools and resources. ExoGENI slivers are instances of basic IaaS resources: variously sized virtual machines, bare-metal nodes, iSCSI block storage volumes, and Layer 2 network links with optional OpenFlow control. ExoGENI offers a powerful unified hosting platform for deeply networked, multi-domain, multi-site cloud applications. ExoGENI operates its own stitching engine and Layer 2 (L2) network exchanges that work in concert to interconnect the sites with dynamic point-to-point and multi-point L2 links via multiple circuit providers. It also supports stitchports-named attachment points enabling direct L2 connections to resources outside the system’s control. ExoGENI is seeding a larger, evolving platform linking third-party cloud sites, transport networks, new resource types, and other infrastructure services. It facilitates real-world deployment of innovative distributed services, leading to a new vision of a future federated, more resilient, and deeply networked cyberinfrastructure. This chapter explores the unique features of ExoGENI and, in particular, how it differs from other GENI testbeds.
