Resilient and resource-efficient Service Function Chains in 5G Networks.

Abstract

This is a research based project on resilience and resource efficient service function chaining in future networks. It addresses the challenge on how to guarantee survivability of critical services while efciently utilizing the exhaustible resources of the shared substrate network. First, this project proposes a generic multi-layer graph based algorithm as an alternative algorithm for SFC deployment across a single substrate network. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is optimized in terms of resource utilization and results show an improvement in terms of acceptance compared to a state of the art algorithm. Based on that multi-layer graph based algorithm, we propose a migration-aware algorithm that enables non-critical service applications to share the unused backup resources of critical services in a way that minimizes future preemption of these users from the shared resources. The migration-aware algorithm results into minimal resource consumption in most scenarios compared to a dedicated backup scheme and an improved performance in terms of the number of service preemptions compared to a cost based algorithm. Additionally, whenever low priority users are pre-empted from the shared resources, the project proposes a QoS-aware global-rerouting algorithm for remapping such users while minimizing the level of service interruption resulting from migration of surviving VNFs and virtual links to other substrate nodes and paths. The proposed algorithm is shown to outperform a service restoration scheme based on local rerouting in terms of successful service restoration and resource consump- tion.