OpenIaC: open infrastructure as code - the network is my computer

Modern information systems are built fron a complex composition of networks, infrastructure, devices, services, and applications, interconnected by data flows that are often private and financially sensitive. The 5G networks, which can create hyperlocalized services, have highlighted many of the deficiencies of current practices in use today to create and operate information systems. Emerging cloud computing techniques, such as Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and elastic computing, offer a path for a future re-imagining of how we create, deploy, secure, operate, and retire information systems. In this paper, we articulate the position that a comprehensive new approach is needed for all OSI layers from layer 2 up to applications that are built on underlying principles that include reproducibility, continuous integration/continuous delivery, auditability, and versioning. There are obvious needs to redesign and optimize the protocols from the network layer to the application layer. Our vision seeks to augment existing Cloud Computing and Networking solutions with support for multiple cloud infrastructures and seamless integration of cloud-based microservices. To address these issues, we propose an approach named Open Infrastructure as Code (OpenIaC), which is an attempt to provide a common open forum to integrate and build on advances in cloud computing and blockchain to address the needs of modern information architectures. The main mission of our OpenIaC approach is to provide services based on the principles of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) among the federation of connected resources based on Decentralized Identity (DID). Our objectives include the creation of an open-source hub with fine-grained access control for an open and connected infrastructure of shared resources (sensing, storage, computing, 3D printing, etc.) managed by blockchains and federations. Our proposed approach has the potential to provide a path for developing new platforms, business models, and a modernized information ecosystem necessary for 5G networks.publishedVersio

A network application approach towards 5G and beyond critical communications use cases.

Low latency and high bandwidth heralded with 5G networks will allow transmission of large amounts of Mission-Critical data over a short time period. 5G hence unlocks several capabilities for novel Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) applications, developed to support first responders in making faster and more accurate decisions during times of crisis. As various research initiatives are giving shape to the Network Application ecosystem as an interaction layer between vertical applications and the network control plane, in this article we explore how this concept can unlock finer network service management capabilities that can be leveraged by PPDR solution developers. In particular, we elaborate on the role of Network Applications as means for developers to assure prioritization of specific emergency flows of data, such as high-definition video transmission from PPDR field users to remote operators. To demonstrate this potential in future PPDR-over-5G services, we delve into the transfer of network-intensive PPDR solutions to the Network Application model. We then explore novelties in Network Application experimentation platforms, aiming to streamline development and deployment of such integrated systems across existing 5G infrastructures, by providing the reliability and multi-cluster environments they requireThe author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This project has received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 innovation action program under Grant agreement No 101016521 (5G-EPICENTRE)

Ultrasonic-Based Environmental Perception for Mobile 5G-Oriented XR Applications

One of the sectors that is expected to significantly benefit from 5G network deployment is eXtended Reality (XR). Besides the very high bandwidth, reliability, and Quality of Service (QoS) to be delivered to end users, XR also requires accurate environmental perception for safety reasons: this is fundamental when a user, wearing XR equipment, is immersed in a “virtual” world, but moves in a “real” environment. To overcome this limitation (especially when using low-cost XR equipments, such as cardboards worn by the end user), it is possible to exploit the potentialities offered by Internet of Things (IoT) nodes with sensing/actuating capabilities. In this paper, we rely on ultrasonic sensor-based IoT systems to perceive the surrounding environment and to provide “side information” to XR systems, then performing a preliminary experimental characterization campaign with different ultrasonic IoT system configurations worn by the end user. The combination of the information flows associated with XR and IoT components is enabled by 5G technology. An illustrative experimental scenario, relative to a “Tourism 4.0” IoT-aided VR application deployed by Vodafone in Milan, Italy, is presented