V-Edge: Virtual Edge Computing as an Enabler for Novel Microservices and Cooperative Computing

As we move from 5G to 6G, edge computing is one of the concepts that needs revisiting. Its core idea is still intriguing: instead of sending all data and tasks from an end user's device to the cloud, possibly covering thousands of kilometers and introducing delays that are just owed to limited propagation speed, edge servers deployed in close proximity to the user, e.g., at some 5G gNB, serve as proxy for the cloud. Yet this promising idea is hampered by the limited availability of such edge servers. In this paper, we discuss a way forward, namely the virtual edge computing (V-Edge) concept. V-Edge bridges the gap between cloud, edge, and fog by virtualizing all available resources including the end users' devices and making these resources widely available using well-defined interfaces. V-Edge also acts as an enabler for novel microservices as well as cooperative computing solutions. We introduce the general V-Edge architecture and we characterize some of the key research challenges to overcome, in order to enable wide-spread and even more powerful edge services

Reliable and Low-Latency Fronthaul for Tactile Internet Applications

With the emergence of Cloud-RAN as one of the dominant architectural solutions for next-generation mobile networks, the reliability and latency on the fronthaul (FH) segment become critical performance metrics for applications such as the Tactile Internet. Ensuring FH performance is further complicated by the switch from point-to-point dedicated FH links to packet-based multi-hop FH networks. This change is largely justified by the fact that packet-based fronthauling allows the deployment of FH networks on the existing Ethernet infrastructure. This paper proposes to improve reliability and latency of packet-based fronthauling by means of multi-path diversity and erasure coding of the MAC frames transported by the FH network. Under a probabilistic model that assumes a single service, the average latency required to obtain reliable FH transport and the reliability-latency trade-off are first investigated. The analytical results are then validated and complemented by a numerical study that accounts for the coexistence of enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency (URLLC) services in 5G networks by comparing orthogonal and non-orthogonal sharing of FH resources.Comment: 11pages, 13 figures, 3 bio photo

V-Edge: Virtual Edge Computing as an Enabler for Novel Microservices and Cooperative Computing

As we move from 5G to 6G, edge computing is one of the concepts that needs revisiting. Its core idea is still intriguing: Instead of sending all data and tasks from an end user's device to the cloud, possibly covering thousands of kilometers and introducing delays lower-bounded by propagation speed, edge servers deployed in close proximity to the user (e.g., at some base station) serve as proxy for the cloud. This is particularly interesting for upcoming machine-learning-based intelligent services, which require substantial computational and networking performance for continuous model training. However, this promising idea is hampered by the limited number of such edge servers. In this article, we discuss a way forward, namely the V-Edge concept. V-Edge helps bridge the gap between cloud, edge, and fog by virtualizing all available resources including the end users' devices and making these resources widely available. Thus, V-Edge acts as an enabler for novel microservices as well as cooperative computing solutions in next-generation networks. We introduce the general V-Edge architecture, and we characterize some of the key research challenges to overcome in order to enable wide-spread and intelligent edge services

Ultra-reliable Low-latency, Energy-efficient and Computing-centric Software Data Plane for Network Softwarization

Network softwarization plays a significantly important role in the development and deployment of the latest communication system for 5G and beyond. A more flexible and intelligent network architecture can be enabled to provide support for agile network management, rapid launch of innovative network services with much reduction in Capital Expense (CAPEX) and Operating Expense (OPEX). Despite these benefits, 5G system also raises unprecedented challenges as emerging machine-to-machine and human-to-machine communication use cases require Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). According to empirical measurements performed by the author of this dissertation on a practical testbed, State of the Art (STOA) technologies and systems are not able to achieve the one millisecond end-to-end latency requirement of the 5G standard on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) servers. This dissertation performs a comprehensive introduction to three innovative approaches that can be used to improve different aspects of the current software-driven network data plane. All three approaches are carefully designed, professionally implemented and rigorously evaluated. According to the measurement results, these novel approaches put forward the research in the design and implementation of ultra-reliable low-latency, energy-efficient and computing-first software data plane for 5G communication system and beyond

Towards 5G Software-Defined Ecosystems: Technical Challenges, Business Sustainability and Policy Issues

Techno-economic drivers are creating the conditions for a radical change of paradigm in the design and operation of future telecommunications infrastructures. In fact, SDN, NFV, Cloud and Edge-Fog Computing are converging together into a single systemic transformation termed “Softwarization” that will find concrete exploitations in 5G systems. The IEEE SDN Initiative1 has elaborated a vision, an evolutionary path and some techno-economic scenarios of this transformation: specifically, the major technical challenges, business sustainability and policy issues have been investigated. This white paper presents: 1) an overview on the main techno-economic drivers steering the “Softwarization” of telecommunications; 2) an introduction to the Open Mobile Edge Cloud vision (covered in a companion white paper); 3) the main technical challenges in terms of operations, security and policy; 4) an analysis of the potential role of open source software; 5) some use case proposals for proof-of-concepts; and 6) a short description of the main socio-economic impacts being produced by “Softwarization”. Along these directions, IEEE SDN is also developing of an open catalogue of software platforms, toolkits, and functionalities aiming at a step-by-step development and aggregation of test-beds/field-trials on SDNNFV- 5G

Energy-Efficient Softwarized Networks: A Survey

With the dynamic demands and stringent requirements of various applications, networks need to be high-performance, scalable, and adaptive to changes. Researchers and industries view network softwarization as the best enabler for the evolution of networking to tackle current and prospective challenges. Network softwarization must provide programmability and flexibility to network infrastructures and allow agile management, along with higher control for operators. While satisfying the demands and requirements of network services, energy cannot be overlooked, considering the effects on the sustainability of the environment and business. This paper discusses energy efficiency in modern and future networks with three network softwarization technologies: SDN, NFV, and NS, introduced in an energy-oriented context. With that framework in mind, we review the literature based on network scenarios, control/MANO layers, and energy-efficiency strategies. Following that, we compare the references regarding approach, evaluation method, criterion, and metric attributes to demonstrate the state-of-the-art. Last, we analyze the classified literature, summarize lessons learned, and present ten essential concerns to open discussions about future research opportunities on energy-efficient softwarized networks.Comment: Accepted draft for publication in TNSM with minor updates and editin