Towards Edge Slicing: VNF Placement Algorithms for a Dynamic & Realistic Edge Cloud Environment

To support the much desired ultra-short latency of 5G mobile systems, many micro-data centers will be deployed in the vicinity of mobile users, defining a distributed edge cloud. Over this edge cloud, it is important to create optimal network slices to support different 5G verticals. Optimality is defined in terms of cost efficiency and QoS support. Therefore, it is important to understand the behavior of mobile users in terms of mobile service consumption. In this paper, we present, on one hand, a tool for developing a spatio-temporal model of mobile service usage over a particular geographical area. This tool will help to define the behavior of mobile users in terms of mobility patterns and mobile service consumption. On the other hand, based on this tool, we present a benchmark of some interesting Virtualized Network Functions (VNF) placement algorithms, among them our enhanced version of the predictive placement strategy. The comparison is based on data overload, overload of Virtual Machines (VMs) and QoS.