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Virtualising and orchestrating a 5G evolved packet core network
... The MANO framework originally developed as part of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) NFV work which grew from the Clarke presentation is applicable for instantiation and operation of elements in a 5G sliced network core as in essence, the 5G core is a use-case of the overall NFV architecture. Experiences of building 5G sliced networks in this manner are discussed by Mayoral et al. [41] and Lake et al. [42]. ...
... Despite much performance measurement and documentation of the issues of network performance in virtual environments including lessons learnt within the 5G Innovation Centre [42], the issue of function placement and associated network performance especially for VNFs hosting UPFs remains an open research question. ...
... One of the first fully-softwarized 5G cores built on 4G EPC components modified to operate in a pre-standard 5Glike manner was presented by Lake et al. [42] and issues were seen with packet performance degradation initially pointing at known issues in OpenVSwitch. Further, it was noted that existing research into this issue had concentrated on the VNF as a terminating, not a transiting application [118]. ...
Softwarization has been deemed as a key feature of 5G networking in the sense that the support of network functions migrates from traditional hardware-based solutions to software based ones. While the main rationale of 5G softwarization is to achieve high degree of flexibility/ programmability as well as reduction of total cost of ownership (TCO), it remains an interesting but significant issue on how to strike a desirable balance between system openness and necessary standardization in the context of 5G. The aim of this article is to systematically survey relevant enabling technologies, platforms and tools for 5G softwarization, together with ongoing standardization activities at relevant SDOs (Standards Developing Organizations). Based on these, we aim to shed light on the future evolution of 5G technologies in terms of softwarization versus standardization requirements and options.
... These standardization focus on the performance of virtualized components, without explicit comparison to their nonvirtualized versions. There are also some studies on virtualized mobile networks [6][7][8][9] which introduce the concepts of wireless network virtualization and possible architectures. In [7][8], new structures of virtualized EPC were proposed. ...
... There are also some studies on virtualized mobile networks [6][7][8][9] which introduce the concepts of wireless network virtualization and possible architectures. In [7][8], new structures of virtualized EPC were proposed. A quantitative analysis is conducted to evaluate the impact of virtualization for signalling traffic [7] and the overall performance was only briefly introduced in [8]. ...
... In [7][8], new structures of virtualized EPC were proposed. A quantitative analysis is conducted to evaluate the impact of virtualization for signalling traffic [7] and the overall performance was only briefly introduced in [8]. In [9], a virtualization of an LTE eNB was studied and simulated. ...
Network function virtualization (NFV) is one of key features envisioned for the upcoming 5G core networks in order to support high flexibility in network deployment and management. However, potential performance degradations that could be caused by virtualization of network functions is still a controversial issue, especially in regards to virtualization of core network components. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of NFV on an end-to-end mobile network testbed, which is deployed in the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) in University of Surrey. The testbed consists of indoor and outdoor LTE Radio Access Networks (RAN) equipment, as well as an enhanced Evolved Packet Core (EPC) following LTE Release 14 specifications, such as control and user plane separation (CUPS). The paper compares the performance of the softwarised core network and that of its virtualized counterpart. Measurement results show that the virtualized core network has adequately similar network performance in terms of throughput and latency, compared with the non-virtual core.
... The network interfaces were Intel cards capable of real 4x2.5 Gbps Ethernet throughput on the client-side, while the server-side had The EPC is a 2x64 x86 server with 124 GB of memory and has a 2x10 Gbps link aggregation group (LAG) connection in all wired directions, towards gNB and eNB. The mobile network software consisted of 4G MME, SGW, PGW with option 3.X architecture [142], ...
My dissertation focuses on data and signaling traffic measurement methods and metrics and on providing methodological elements for managing future networks and services.
In the first Thesis group, I created a general life cycle model for IoT devices and demonstrated its application in a telecommunications example. I have developed a model to be used for security investigation purposes related to IoT devices. One of the interesting findings of mine was that the users who were previously banned from the network pose a threat to the operators’ services with their re-appearance. I defined the predecessors of 5G use cases in pre-5G networks, and measured their footprint requirements in existing networks. I have shown correlation between the data and signaling traffic, based on the transmission characteristics of actively operating Industry 4.0 devices. I discussed that traffic transients needed to be avoided.
In the second Thesis group, I identified the challenges arising from the interconnection of Industry 4.0 and mobile networks. As part of this work, I examined existing standards in detail and prepared a network architecture to meet these 3GPP recommendations. I presented the needs, requirements, and motivations of the field related to private industrial mobile networks. I determined industrial data traffic’s main characteristics and the main parameters that the 5G industrial network must meet. I designed and created a 5G NSA mobile network consisting of 3GPP standardized building blocks and performed complex measurements to determine the KPI values of the network. I created a mathematical model and algorithm, examined the joint needs of specific clients and client groups and the services provided by the network.
... The EPC is a 2 × 64 × 86 server with 124 GB of memory and has a 2 × 10 Gbps link aggregation group (LAG) connection in all wired directions, towards Next generation NodeB (gNB) and Evolved Node B (eNB). The mobile network software consisted of 4G Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) with option 3.X architecture [48], where I implemented a minimal architecture design with only having the S6a interface outside of this. The system did not include any interface other than the minimal design. ...
To analyze next-generation mobile networks properly, there is a need to define key performance indicators (KPIs). Testing signaling only or just partial domains of the network have been replaced with end-to-end testing methodologies. With the appearing of machine-to-machine (M2M) applications, this question became even harder, since there is no direct user feedback. Quality of experience cannot be measured accurately in M2M applications, even if the network operates correctly and without failures. There are dozens of new—but theoretical—use-cases for 5G; however, these are not tested on a live network. The modeling methodology used throughout the paper follows the steps of observation, analysis, model creation, implementation, and verification. The first part of the paper examines the three application-types: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), critical Internet of Things (cIoT), and mass Internet of Things (mIoT). Afterwards, we introduce the main traffic characteristics based on current mobile networks’ traffic patterns and measurements. Considering the measurement results, we introduce a methodology and define traffic models for the simulation of different application-types. To validate these models, we compare the generated artificial traffic with real traffic patterns. In the second part of the paper, we examine what the main effects of these traffic patterns on a domestic 5G test-network are. Finally, we suggest some considerations on the possible main impacts regarding 5G network design.
... There are some costs for our NOS-EPC as well. The replacements of dedicated hardware with commodity servers lead to consistent degradation (nearly 7% degradation [32]) on the aspect of the processing capacity. Second, the deployments of GNV need to be further investigated. ...
... The project discovered and defined sets of problems to deal with during 5G network operation and offers managed solutions that are generic for NFV/SDN/5G environments. For example, in [38], the authors summarized their experimental activity aimed at designing, building, and testing a fully functional virtualized mobile core network, pointing out lessons learned and recommendations for future improvements. In [39], the authors present the concept of a scalable service function chaining (SFC) Orchestrator capable of deploying SF Chains following the ETSI-NFV architectural model, as well as orchestrating the runtime phase by rerouting the traffic to a different path in case of overload of certain SF instances. ...
The fifth generation (5G) of cellular networks promises to be a major step in the evolution of wireless technology. 5G is planned to be used in a very broad set of application scenarios. These scenarios have strict heterogeneous requirements that will be accomplished by enhancements on the radio access network and a collection of innovative wireless technologies. Softwarization technologies, such as Software-Defined Networking
(SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV), will play a key role in integrating these different technologies. Network slicing emerges as a cost–efficient solution for the implementation of the diverse 5G requirements and verticals. The 5G radio access and core networks will be based on a SDN/NFV infrastructure, which will be able to orchestrate the resources and control the network in order to efficiently, flexibly, and scalably provide network services. In this paper, we present the up-to-date status of the software-defined 5G radio access and core networks and a broad range of future research challenges on the orchestration and control aspects.
... There are some costs of our NOS-EPC. The replacement of dedicated hardware with commodity servers leads to nearly 7% degradation [11] on processing ability. Second, the deployment of GNV needs to be further investigated. ...
Media services must ensure an enhanced user’s perceived quality during content playback to attract and retain audiences, especially while the streams are distributed remotely via networks. Thus, media streaming services rely heavily on good and predictable network performance when delivered to a large number of people. Furthermore, as the quality of media content gets high, the network performance demands are also increasing, and meeting them is challenging. Network functions devoted to improving media streaming services become essential to cope with the high dynamics of network performance and user mobility. Furthermore, new networking paradigms and architectures under the 5G networks umbrella are bringing new possibilities to deploy smart network functions, which monitor the media streaming services through live and objective metrics and boost them in real-time. This survey overviews the state-of-the-art technologies and solutions proposed to apply new network functions for enhancing media streaming.
This paper demonstrates the realization of different network services, 5G Test Network (5GTN) as a mobile network operator at the University of Oulu provides based on an open access network availability for research and innovation. A network platform with use case and service dedicated slicing is designed on the fundamental principles of ETSI compliant NFV Management and Network Orchestration (MANO) framework. The slicing is done primarily on the Core Networks (CN) with evolved packet core and ip multimedia subsystem functionalities in different slices. The virtual network function instances are instantiated in OpenStack and VMWare cloud environments using an NFV Orchestrator. The virtual instances and the required resources can be instantiated, terminated and scaled in a slice according to the requirements of the end user and nature of the use case. Focusing on different service demands, the paper demonstrates three test cases utilizing different slices from the components in the CN for each case. It also provides an overview on radio spectrum sharing possibility between two operators on a specified service level agreement with each operator having own CN infrastructure.
Network Function Virtualization (NFV) has drawn significant attention from both industry and academia as an important shift in telecommunication service provisioning. By decoupling Network Functions (NFs) from the physical devices on which they run, NFV has the potential to lead to significant reductions in Operating Expenses (OPEX) and Capital Expenses (CAPEX) and facilitate the deployment of new services with increased agility and faster time-to-value. The NFV paradigm is still in its infancy and there is a large spectrum of opportunities for the research community to develop new architectures, systems and applications, and to evaluate alternatives and trade-offs in developing technologies for its successful deployment. In this paper, after discussing NFV and its relationship with complementary fields of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and cloud computing, we survey the state-of-the-art in NFV, and identify promising research directions in this area. We also overview key NFV projects, standardization efforts, early implementations, use cases and commercial products.
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) enables communication between IP-speaking nodes in a local network by reconstructing the hardware (MAC) address associated with the IP address of an interface. This is not needed in a Software-Defined Network (SDN), because each device can forward packets without the need to learn this association. We tackle the interoperability problem arising between standard network devices (end systems, routers), that rely on ARP, and SDN datapaths, that do not handle ARP packets natively. In particular, we propose a general approach to handle ARP in a SDN, that is applicable in several network scenarios, is transparent for existing devices, and can coexist with any packet forwarding logic implemented in the controller. Our approach reduces ARP traffic by confining it to the edge of SDNs and requires a minimal set of flow entries in the datapaths. We argument about its applicability and confirm it with experiments performed on SDN datapaths from a range of different vendors.
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