Model-Driven VNF Rehoming for Cloud Service Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rehoming strategies for virtual network functions (VNFs) in cloud environments are inefficient due to a singular approach, leading to delays and inefficiencies in cloud operations, especially when dealing with hotspots, failures, and upgrades, as they do not consider the feasibility of rehoming actions for stateful VNFs and the impact of resource contention.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Model-driven Rehoming Technique (MERIT) that analyzes characteristics of VNFs to predict rehoming delays and downtime, determining optimal rehoming actions by considering rehoming costs, connectivity downtime, and resource contention, allowing for dynamic and flexible rehoming decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a singular rehoming approach is used for VNFs, then the rehoming process is simplified, but rehoming delays and chain downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic rehoming strategies that adapt to different VNF characteristics and service chain configurations. The system evaluates multiple rehoming actions (migrate, clone, rebuild) and selects the optimal one based on real-time conditions, VNF statefulness, and resource availability, thereby reducing rehoming delays while maintaining operational complexity management
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by considering different rehoming approaches (live migration, cold migration, cloning, rebuilding) based on VNF characteristics such as statefulness, service level objectives, and resource constraints. This parameter-based selection optimizes rehoming time by choosing the most appropriate method for each specific scenario
2Reliability
If frequent rehoming is performed to meet SLOs, then service availability is improved, but operational complexity and resource contention increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that monitor service chain performance, resource utilization, and SLO compliance. Based on this feedback, the system intelligently determines when rehoming is necessary and selects appropriate rehoming actions, avoiding unnecessary operations and reducing overall operational complexity while maintaining service availability
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of rehoming necessity by assessing current service chain status, predicting potential SLO violations, and preparing optimal rehoming strategies in advance. This preliminary action reduces operational complexity by avoiding reactive, rushed rehoming operations
3Speed
If rehoming actions are applied without considering VNF characteristics, then rehoming speed is increased, but rehoming feasibility and service quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring rehoming actions to specific VNF characteristics such as statefulness, service type, and performance requirements. Different rehoming methods (live migration for stateless VNFs, careful state migration for stateful VNFs) are selected based on local VNF properties, ensuring both speed and feasibility
Data Source
AI summary
A system that determines whether a trigger has occurred within a cloud infrastructure. The system, in response to determining that a trigger has occurred, extracts characteristics from one or more virtual network functions (VNFs) of a service chain. The system, in response to extracting characteristics from the one or more VNFs, determines rehoming actions for each of the one or more VNFs. The system, in response to determining rehoming actions, predicts a rehoming delay or a chain downtime for each of the rehoming actions for each of the one or more VNFs. The system determines an optimal rehoming action from the rehoming actions for at least one of the one or more VNFs using the rehoming delay or the chain downtime for each rehoming action of the rehoming actions. The system performs the optimal rehoming action for the at least one of one or more VNFs.