Providing Low Latency Guarantees for Slicing-Ready 5G Systems via Two-Level MAC Scheduling

5G comes with the promise of sub-millisecond latency, which is critical for realizing an array of emerging URLLC services, including industrial, entertainment, telemedicine, automotive, and tactile Internet applications. At the same time, slicing-ready 5G networks face the challenge of accommodating other heterogeneous coexisting services with different and potentially conflicting requirements. Providing latency and reliability guarantees to URLLC service slices is thus not trivial. We identify transmission scheduling at the RAN level as a significant contributor to end-to-end latency when considering network slicing. In this direction, we propose a two-level MAC scheduling framework that can effectively handle uplink and downlink transmissions of network slices of different characteristics over a shared RAN, applying different per-slice scheduling policies, and focusing on reducing latency for URLLC services. Our scheme offers the necessary flexibility to dynamically manage radio resources to meet the stringent latency and reliability requirements of URLLC, as demonstrated by our simulation results

CDN slicing over a multi-domain edge cloud

Abstract We present an architecture for the provision of video Content Delivery Network (CDN) functionality as a service over a multi-domain cloud. We introduce the concept of a CDN slice, that is, a CDN service instance which is created upon a content provider’s request, is autonomously managed, and spans multiple, potentially heterogeneous, edge cloud infrastructures. Our design is tailored to a 5G mobile network context, building on its inherent programmability, management flexibility, and the availability of cloud resources at the mobile edge level, thus close to end users. We exploit Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) technologies, proposing a system which is aligned with the recent NFV and MEC standards. To deliver a Quality-of-Experience (QoE) optimized video service, we derive empirical models of video QoE as a function of service workload, which, coupled with multi-level service monitoring, drive our slice resource allocation and elastic management mechanisms. These management schemes feature autonomic compute resource scaling, and on-the-fly transcoding to adapt video bit-rate to the current network conditions. Their effectiveness is demonstrated via testbed experiments.</P

Secure Network Management Using a Key Distribution Center

Abstract. The proliferation and growth of modern computer networks have made network management infrastructures an integral part of the administration process. Nevertheless, most of these do not have the notion of security assimilated by design. Thus, existing network equipment cannot be managed securely without additional hardware or software security modules. This paper discusses a simple, yet robust, solution for securing an existing management infrastructure based on the SNMP protocol.

Network slicing-based customization of 5G mobile services

Abstract Through network slicing, different requirements of different applications and services can be met. These requirements can be in terms of latency, bandwidth, mobility support, defining service area, and security. Through fine and dynamic tuning of network slices, services can have their delivery platforms constantly customized according to their changing needs. In this article, we present our implementation of an E2E network slice orchestration platform, evaluate its performance in terms of dynamic deployment of network slices in an E2E fashion, and discuss how its functionality can be enhanced to better customize the network slices according to the needs of their respective services

Public infrastructures for Internet access in metropolitan areas

Abstract—Wireless Community Networks (WCNs) are metropolitan-area networks whose nodes are owned and managed by volunteers. These networks can be used to build large scale public infrastructures for providing ubiquitous high-speed wireless broadband access through the private contributions of individual community members who use their hotspots to forward foreign traffic from and to nearby lowmobility clients. We have designed and developed a prototype aggregation scheme that (1) assumes that community members are selfish and do not trust each other and uses a secure incentive technique to encourage their contribution; (2) protects the real-world identities of community providers and clients by relying only on disposable opaque identifiers (public/private key pairs); (3) is fully distributed, open to all, and does not rely on any authority to resolve disputes or to control membership; (4) is automated, using standard hardware and software we developed for some of the main available platforms (Linux-based WLAN access points and Windows Mobile-based cell phones). Thus, it can easily complement 2G/3G cellular networks in metropolitan areas where some WCNs provide wide coverage