Which technology enables a virtual router to manage its configuration independently from the underlying hardware?

The technology that enables a virtual router to manage its configuration independently from the underlying hardware is Software-Defined Networking (SDN). SDN separates the control plane from the data plane in networking devices, allowing network administrators to manage and configure networks without being tied to the hardware specifics. This abstraction facilitates easier configuration and management, enabling more flexibility and scalability in network design.

In software-defined networking, the network control is directly programmable and the underlying infrastructure is abstracted for management, which means that different virtual routers can operate and configure independently, without being constrained by the features and capabilities of their physical counterparts. This leads to increased agility in managing the network, addressing issues like traffic routing and load balancing more effectively.

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) focuses on virtualizing entire classes of network node functions, making it related but not specifically targeted at managing configuration independence in routers. Cloud Computing primarily pertains to on-demand computing resources and storage services over the internet rather than specifically adjusting hardware configurations in networking. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secure network connection over the internet but does not address the configuration management of routers in a virtualized environment.