1. Cloud-Native Network Slicing Using Software Defined Networking Based Multi-Access Edge Computing: A Survey
- Author
-
Syed Danial Ali Shah, Mark A. Gregory, and Shuo Li
- Subjects
Service (systems architecture) ,General Computer Science ,Computer science ,Distributed computing ,Cloud computing ,02 engineering and technology ,Microservices ,multi-access edge computing ,Server ,software defined networking ,ultra-reliable ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,General Materials Science ,Network slicing ,Edge computing ,business.industry ,General Engineering ,020206 networking & telecommunications ,low latency communication ,TK1-9971 ,Elasticity (cloud computing) ,cloud native ,Scalability ,Cellular network ,Resource allocation ,020201 artificial intelligence & image processing ,Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering ,Software-defined networking ,business - Abstract
Fifth-Generation (5G) mobile cellular networks provide a promising platform for new, innovative and diverse IoT applications, such as ultra-reliable and low latency communication, real-time and dynamic data processing, intensive computation, and massive device connectivity. End-to-End (E2E) network slicing candidates present a promising approach to resource allocation and distribution that permit operators to flexibly provide scalable virtualized and dedicated logical networks over common physical infrastructure. Though network slicing promises the provision of services on demand, many of its use cases, such as self-driving cars and Google's Stadia, would require the integration of a Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) platform in 5G networks. Edge Computing is envisioned as one of the key drivers for 5G and Sixth-Generation (6G) mobile cellular networks, but its role in network slicing remains to be fully explored. We investigate MEC and network slicing for the provision of 5G service focused use cases. Recently, changes to the cloud-native 5G core are a focus with MEC use cases providing network scalability, elasticity, flexibility, and automation. A cloud-native microservices architecture, along with its potential use cases for 5G network slicing, is envisioned. This paper also elaborates on the recent advances made in enabling E2E network slicing, its enabling technologies, solutions, and current standardization efforts. Finally, this paper identifies open research issues and challenges and provides possible solutions and recommendations.
- Published
- 2021