133 research outputs found
A Virtual Network PaaS for 3GPP 4G and Beyond Core Network Services
Cloud computing and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) are emerging as key
technologies to overcome the challenges facing 4G and beyond mobile systems.
Over the last few years, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) has gained momentum and
has become more widely adopted throughout IT enterprises. It simplifies the
applications provisioning and accelerates time-to-market while lowering costs.
Telco can leverage the same model to provision the 4G and beyond core network
services using NFV technology. However, many challenges have to be addressed,
mainly due to the specificities of network services. This paper proposes an
architecture for a Virtual Network Platform-as-a-Service (VNPaaS) to provision
3GPP 4G and beyond core network services in a distributed environment. As an
illustrative use case, the proposed architecture is employed to provision the
3GPP Home Subscriber Server (HSS) as-a-Service (HSSaaS). The HSSaaS is built
from Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) resulting from a novel decomposition
of HSS. A prototype is implemented and early measurements are made.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, 5th IEEE International Conference on
Cloud Networking (IEEE CloudNet 2016
Algorithms for advance bandwidth reservation in media production networks
Media production generally requires many geographically distributed actors (e.g., production houses, broadcasters, advertisers) to exchange huge amounts of raw video and audio data. Traditional distribution techniques, such as dedicated point-to-point optical links, are highly inefficient in terms of installation time and cost. To improve efficiency, shared media production networks that connect all involved actors over a large geographical area, are currently being deployed. The traffic in such networks is often predictable, as the timing and bandwidth requirements of data transfers are generally known hours or even days in advance. As such, the use of advance bandwidth reservation (AR) can greatly increase resource utilization and cost efficiency. In this paper, we propose an Integer Linear Programming formulation of the bandwidth scheduling problem, which takes into account the specific characteristics of media production networks, is presented. Two novel optimization algorithms based on this model are thoroughly evaluated and compared by means of in-depth simulation results
Automated Network Service Scaling in NFV: Concepts, Mechanisms and Scaling Workflow
Next-generation systems are anticipated to be digital platforms supporting
innovative services with rapidly changing traffic patterns. To cope with this
dynamicity in a cost-efficient manner, operators need advanced service
management capabilities such as those provided by NFV. NFV enables operators to
scale network services with higher granularity and agility than today. For this
end, automation is key. In search of this automation, the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has defined a reference NFV
framework that make use of model-driven templates called Network Service
Descriptors (NSDs) to operate network services through their lifecycle. For the
scaling operation, an NSD defines a discrete set of instantiation levels among
which a network service instance can be resized throughout its lifecycle. Thus,
the design of these levels is key for ensuring an effective scaling. In this
article, we provide an overview of the automation of the network service
scaling operation in NFV, addressing the options and boundaries introduced by
ETSI normative specifications. We start by providing a description of the NSD
structure, focusing on how instantiation levels are constructed. For
illustrative purposes, we propose an NSD for a representative NS. This NSD
includes different instantiation levels that enable different ways to
automatically scale this NS. Then, we show the different scaling procedures the
NFV framework has available, and how it may automate their triggering. Finally,
we propose an ETSI-compliant workflow to describe in detail a representative
scaling procedure. This workflow clarifies the interactions and information
exchanges between the functional blocks in the NFV framework when performing
the scaling operation.Comment: This work has been accepted for publication in the IEEE
Communications Magazin
Network Service Orchestration: A Survey
Business models of network service providers are undergoing an evolving
transformation fueled by vertical customer demands and technological advances
such as 5G, Software Defined Networking~(SDN), and Network Function
Virtualization~(NFV). Emerging scenarios call for agile network services
consuming network, storage, and compute resources across heterogeneous
infrastructures and administrative domains. Coordinating resource control and
service creation across interconnected domains and diverse technologies becomes
a grand challenge. Research and development efforts are being devoted to
enabling orchestration processes to automate, coordinate, and manage the
deployment and operation of network services. In this survey, we delve into the
topic of Network Service Orchestration~(NSO) by reviewing the historical
background, relevant research projects, enabling technologies, and
standardization activities. We define key concepts and propose a taxonomy of
NSO approaches and solutions to pave the way towards a common understanding of
the various ongoing efforts around the realization of diverse NSO application
scenarios. Based on the analysis of the state of affairs, we present a series
of open challenges and research opportunities, altogether contributing to a
timely and comprehensive survey on the vibrant and strategic topic of network
service orchestration.Comment: Accepted for publication at Computer Communications Journa
RDCL 3D, a Model Agnostic Web Framework for the Design and Composition of NFV Services
We present RDCL 3D, a "model agnostic" web framework for the design and
composition of NFV services and components. The framework allows editing and
validating the descriptors of services and components both textually and
graphically and supports the interaction with external orchestrators or with
deployment and execution environments. RDCL 3D is open source and designed with
a modular approach, allowing developers to "plug in" the support for new
models. We describe several advances with respect to the NFV state of the art,
which have been implemented with RDCL 3D. We have integrated in the platform
the latest ETSI NFV ISG model specifications for which no parsers/validators
were available. We have also included in the platform the support for OASIS
TOSCA models, reusing existing parsers. Then we have considered the modelling
of components in a modular software router (Click), which goes beyond the
traditional scope of NFV. We have further developed this approach by combining
traditional NFV components (Virtual Network Functions) and Click elements in a
single model. Finally, we have considered the support of this solution using
the Unikernels virtualization technology.Comment: Accepted pape
Deployment of NFV and SFC scenarios
Aquest Ãtem conté el treball original, defensat públicament amb data de 24 de febrer de 2017, aixà com una versió millorada del mateix amb data de 28 de febrer de 2017. Els canvis introduïts a la segona versió són 1) correcció d'errades 2) procediment del darrer annex.Telecommunications services have been traditionally designed linking hardware devices and providing mechanisms so that they can interoperate. Those devices are usually specific to a single service and are based on proprietary technology. On the other hand, the current model works by defining standards and strict protocols to achieve high levels of quality and reliability which have defined the carrier-class provider environment. Provisioning new services represent challenges at different levels because inserting the required devices involve changes in the network topology. This leads to slow deployment times and increased operational costs. To overcome the current burdens network function installation and insertion processes into the current service topology needs to be streamlined to allow greater flexibility. The current service provider model has been disrupted by the over-the-top Internet content providers (Facebook, Netflix, etc.), with short product cycles and fast development pace of new services. The content provider irruption has meant a competition and stress over service providers' infrastructure and has forced telco companies to research new technologies to recover market share with flexible and revenue-generating services. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Service Function Chaining (SFC) are some of the initiatives led by the Communication Service Providers to regain the lost leadership. This project focuses on experimenting with some of these already available new technologies, which are expected to be the foundation of the new network paradigms (5G, IOT) and support new value-added services over cost-efficient telecommunication infrastructures. Specifically, SFC scenarios have been deployed with Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV), a Linux Foundation project. Some use cases of the NFV technology are demonstrated applied to teaching laboratories. Although the current implementation does not achieve a production degree of reliability, it provides a suitable environment for the development of new functional improvements and evaluation of the performance of virtualized network infrastructures
Information Exchange Management as a Service for Network Function Virtualization Environments
The Internet landscape is gradually adopting new communication paradigms characterized by flexibility and adaptability to the resource constraints and service requirements, including network function virtualization (NFV), software-defined networks, and various virtualization and network slicing technologies. These approaches need to be realized from multiple management and network entities exchanging information between each other. We propose a novel information exchange management as a service facility as an extension to ETSI's NFV management and orchestration framework, namely the virtual infrastructure information service (VIS). VIS is characterized by the following properties: 1) it exhibits the dynamic characteristics of such network paradigms; 2) it supports information flow establishment, operation, and optimization; and 3) it provides a logically centralized control of the established information flows with respect to the diverse demands of the entities exchanging information elements. Our proposal addresses the information exchange management requirements of NFV environments and is information-model agnostic. This paper includes an experimental analysis of its main functional and non-functional characteristics
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