Title
Adaptable and Data-Driven Softwarized Networks: Review, Opportunities, and Challenges
Abstract
Communication networks are the key enabling technology for our digital society. In order to sustain their critical services in the future, communication networks need to flexibly accommodate new requirements and changing contexts due to emerging diverse applications. In contrast to traditional networking technologies, software-oriented networking concepts, such as software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), provide ample opportunities for highly flexible network operations, enabling fast and simple adaptation of network resources and flows. This paper identifies the opportunities and challenges of adaptable softwarized networks and introduces a conceptual framework for adaptations in softwarized networks. We first explain how softwarized networks contribute to network adaptability through the functional primitives observation, composition, and control. We review the wide range of options for fine-granular observations as well as fine-granular composition and control provided by SDN and NFV. The multitude of fine-granular “tuning knobs” in adaptable softwarized networks complicates the decision making, which is the main focus of this paper. We propose to enhance the functional primitives observation, composition, and control with data-driven decision making, e.g., machine learning modules, resulting in deep observation, composition, and control. The data-driven decision making modules can learn and react to changes in the environment, e.g., new flow demands, so as to support meaningful decision making for adaptation in softwarized networks. Finally, we make the case for employing the concept of empowerment to realize truly “self-driving” networks.
Year
DOI
Venue
2019
10.1109/JPROC.2019.2895553
Proceedings of the IEEE
Keywords
DocType
Volume
Decision making,Data centers,Communication networks,Network function virtualization,Machine learning,Optimization,Europe
Journal
107
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
4
0018-9219
5
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.49
0
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Wolfgang Kellerer11474157.92
Patrick Kalmbach2286.12
Andreas Blenk321523.28
Arsany Basta424116.20
Martin Reisslein51661114.91
Stefan Schmid676979.85