A slice-based decentralized NFV framework for an end-to-end QoS-based dynamic resource allocation

Abstract

Network function virtualization concept has recently merged to solve network operators and service provider’s problems related to the non-flexibility of the traditional network and the increase of capital and operational expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX). ETSI has standardized an architectural framework to serve as a springboard for reflection to the application and the setup of the concept. However, that architecture presents many shortcomings and several challenges that have to be addressed. In this paper, we propose a new original framework that aims at satisfying the subscriber’s Service Level Agreement and optimizes Telecom Service Provider fees under the scope of pay as you go concept. Based on the proposed framework, the end to end service execution process is presented. We afterward address the dynamic scheduling problem to minimize service execution time in the network by meant of the makespan. The dynamic scheduling problem is modeled as a mixed-integer linear programming one, and an Event-Driven Upward Ranking-Based Dynamic Scheduling Heuristic (EDURBaDySH) is proposed to solve large instances of the problem. Simulation results show that our approach performs better than Round Robin, Min Min and HEFT approaches in terms of makespan for different workflow configurations, considering a small, middle and large number of VNFs.