Routers, ubiquitous in homes and offices, vary widely in size and function. From basic home Wi-Fi routers to enterprise-grade models, the options are vast and costs range drastically. Yet, navigating through these choices can be daunting. Enter virtual routers: a cost-effective solution without the need for physical hardware. Whether you’re managing a small home network or a large enterprise setup, virtual routers offer flexibility and affordability. With no hardware purchase required, they provide a seamless transition for users looking to expand or upgrade their network capabilities. So, whether you’re a casual user or a seasoned IT professional, virtual routers present a compelling alternative in the world of networking technology.
What are virtual routers?
Virtual routers are software routers that use a normal PC (or server) to do their job.
The rise of software-defined networking (SDN) has led to virtualization of enterprise functions, known as network function virtualization (NFV). Essentially, dedicated networking device functions are replaced by software running on standard servers. This shift away from proprietary hardware offers cost savings and flexibility, reducing dependency on specific vendors. As businesses seek to streamline operations and avoid vendor lock-in, NFV becomes increasingly attractive. By leveraging commercial-off-the-shelf servers, organizations can optimize resource allocation and scalability. SDN and NFV represent a paradigm shift in networking, empowering enterprises to adapt to evolving technology landscapes more efficiently. With virtualization, businesses can achieve greater agility and responsiveness while minimizing hardware investments and maintenance costs.
The VSR
Inventum’s VSR is a virtual router that can replace any hardware router. The VSR software automatically detects the PC hardware and sets it up to function as a router. Connect your Internet & LAN to the relevant ports of the PC and voila!
Performance
The performance of your virtual router really depends on your PC hardware. Depending on the number of CPU cores, memory and network cards virtual routers can easily handle multi-gigabit traffic. Advances from Intel® in multi-core processors and the DPDK framework have enabled network fast paths on commodity servers.
Inventum has combined these developments with its own optimized software to build virtual routers that can deliver millions of packets per second (mpps) on Intel® Atom® & Xeon® processors.
Go Virtual
If you haven’t yet dabbled with network function virtualization (NFV) the virtual router may be the first thing to try.
Fire up a machine on the cloud or use a hypervisor on-prem, the virtual router can address every use case that a physical router can. No lock-in to proprietary hardware and no expensive maintenance contracts.
Download and try the VSR today!
