Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks
The mapping of a virtual network service onto a physical network infrastructure is a challenging task due to the joint allocation of virtual resources across nodes and links, the diverse technical requirements of end-users, the coordination between multiple host domains, and others. This issue is ex...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2022-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9750106/ |
| _version_ | 1818272951197237248 |
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| author | Mohammad Asif Habibi Faqir Zarrar Yousaf Hans D. Schotten |
| author_facet | Mohammad Asif Habibi Faqir Zarrar Yousaf Hans D. Schotten |
| author_sort | Mohammad Asif Habibi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The mapping of a virtual network service onto a physical network infrastructure is a challenging task due to the joint allocation of virtual resources across nodes and links, the diverse technical requirements of end-users, the coordination between multiple host domains, and others. This issue is exacerbated further by the extension of virtualization to the next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) architecture and the provisioning of radio access network (RAN) slicing. To that end, this article focuses on the mapping problem of the virtual network functions (VNFs), as well as their internal and external virtual links (VLs), of a RAN slice subnet onto intelligent points of presence (I-PoPs) and transport networks in the NG-RAN architecture. In this context, in contrast to the majority of the state-of-the-art proposals, which frequently fail to achieve performance objectives and neglect resource allocation constraints, this article introduces automation and intelligence at an architectural level to map VNFs and VLs onto their corresponding physical nodes and links, with the goal of achieving superior efficiency in virtual resource utilization while granting the performance of a RAN slice subnet. Benefiting from a top-down approach, the key contributions of this article are: <italic>(i)</italic> to extend the architectural framework of network slicing towards the NG-RAN architecture and provide a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the components and functionalities of a RAN slice subnet; <italic>(ii)</italic> to integrate the Experiential Network Intelligence (ENI) framework into a joint architecture of the network functions virtualization–management and orchestration (NFV–MANO), Third Generation Partnership Project-network slicing management system (3GPP-NSMS), and I-PoPs in order to render automation and intelligence to the management and orchestration aspects of a RAN slice subnet in the NG-RAN architecture; and <italic>(iii)</italic> to propose a learning-assisted architectural solution for mapping the VNFs, as well as their internal and external VLs, of a RAN slice subnet onto the underlying I-PoPs and transport networks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:50:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c74c979dbd3a4f249bf16bc632f008e5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2644-125X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:50:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-c74c979dbd3a4f249bf16bc632f008e52022-12-22T00:10:49ZengIEEEIEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society2644-125X2022-01-01367070410.1109/OJCOMS.2022.31650009750106Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile NetworksMohammad Asif Habibi0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9874-0047Faqir Zarrar Yousaf1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7802-2432Hans D. Schotten2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5005-3635Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Division of Wireless Communications and Radio Navigation, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany6G Networks Group, NEC Laboratories Europe GmbH, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Division of Wireless Communications and Radio Navigation, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, GermanyThe mapping of a virtual network service onto a physical network infrastructure is a challenging task due to the joint allocation of virtual resources across nodes and links, the diverse technical requirements of end-users, the coordination between multiple host domains, and others. This issue is exacerbated further by the extension of virtualization to the next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) architecture and the provisioning of radio access network (RAN) slicing. To that end, this article focuses on the mapping problem of the virtual network functions (VNFs), as well as their internal and external virtual links (VLs), of a RAN slice subnet onto intelligent points of presence (I-PoPs) and transport networks in the NG-RAN architecture. In this context, in contrast to the majority of the state-of-the-art proposals, which frequently fail to achieve performance objectives and neglect resource allocation constraints, this article introduces automation and intelligence at an architectural level to map VNFs and VLs onto their corresponding physical nodes and links, with the goal of achieving superior efficiency in virtual resource utilization while granting the performance of a RAN slice subnet. Benefiting from a top-down approach, the key contributions of this article are: <italic>(i)</italic> to extend the architectural framework of network slicing towards the NG-RAN architecture and provide a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the components and functionalities of a RAN slice subnet; <italic>(ii)</italic> to integrate the Experiential Network Intelligence (ENI) framework into a joint architecture of the network functions virtualization–management and orchestration (NFV–MANO), Third Generation Partnership Project-network slicing management system (3GPP-NSMS), and I-PoPs in order to render automation and intelligence to the management and orchestration aspects of a RAN slice subnet in the NG-RAN architecture; and <italic>(iii)</italic> to propose a learning-assisted architectural solution for mapping the VNFs, as well as their internal and external VLs, of a RAN slice subnet onto the underlying I-PoPs and transport networks.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9750106/5Gautomationbeyond 5Gintelligencemanagement and orchestrationmapping |
| spellingShingle | Mohammad Asif Habibi Faqir Zarrar Yousaf Hans D. Schotten Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society 5G automation beyond 5G intelligence management and orchestration mapping |
| title | Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks |
| title_full | Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks |
| title_fullStr | Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks |
| title_short | Mapping the VNFs and VLs of a RAN Slice Onto Intelligent PoPs in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks |
| title_sort | mapping the vnfs and vls of a ran slice onto intelligent pops in beyond 5g mobile networks |
| topic | 5G automation beyond 5G intelligence management and orchestration mapping |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9750106/ |
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