Guaranteeing Slice Performance Isolation With SDN

One of the main concepts recently introduced in communication networks, such as 5G, is network slicing. A slice, as defined by the Third Generation Partnership program (3GPP) for example, is a logical network consisting of network functions and related resources to meet certain requirements. Software Defined Networking (SDN) is the candidate technology for implementing network slicing. However, guaranteeing different and independent QoS to several network slices sharing a single physical infrastructure is not straightforward. In this letter we propose an SDN solution for network slicing in packet-based networks. Deployed slices guarantee effective utilization of the available bandwidth and isolation in terms of both connectivity and performance (i.e., bandwidth and latency). The proposed solution is based on the OpenFlow standard and is validated on an emulated testbed utilizing the ONOS controller.

Automated summary

Network slicing is an important concept recently introduced in communication networks, defining logical networks with specific requirements. SDN is a candidate technology for implementing network slicing, but providing different QoS to multiple slices sharing a single physical infrastructure is challenging. A proposed SDN solution based on the OpenFlow standard aims to effectively utilize bandwidth and provide isolation in terms of connectivity and performance for deployed slices.