Orchestration of Network Services across multiple operators: The 5G Exchange prototype

Abstract

Future 5G networks will rely on the coordinated
\nallocation of compute, storage, and networking resources in
\norder to meet the functional requirements of 5G services as well
\nas guaranteeing efficient usage of the network infrastructure.
\nHowever, the 5G service provisioning paradigm will also require
\na unified infrastructure service market that integrates multiple
\noperators and technologies. The 5G Exchange (5GEx) project,
\nbuilding heavily on the Software-Defined Network (SDN) and the
\nNetwork Function Virtualization (NFV) functionalities, tries to
\novercome this market and technology fragmentation by
\ndesigning, implementing, and testing a multi-domain
\norchestrator (MdO) prototype for fast and automated Network
\nService (NS) provisioning over multiple-technologies and
\nspanning across multiple operators. This paper presents a first
\nimplementation of the 5GEx MdO prototype obtained by
\nextending existing open source software tools at the disposal of
\nthe 5GEx partners. The main functions of the 5GEx MdO
\nprototype are showcased by demonstrating how it is possible to
\ncreate and deploy NSs in the context of a Slice as a Service
\n(SlaaS) use-case, based on a multi-operator scenario. The 5GEx
\nMdO prototype performance is experimentally evaluated
\nrunning validation tests within the 5GEx sandbox. The overall
\ntime required for the NS deployment has been evaluated
\nconsidering NSs deployed across two operators.