EAGER: Towards A New Microservices-based Architecture for Network Functions Virtualization

网络功能虚拟化(NFV)承诺允许网络运营商快速部署新的网络功能(NFS)，快速响应外部事件，并确保高性能和健壮性。因此，NFV可以提供比传统网络设备更高的敏捷性、可扩展性和性能最优化。许多实体-包括数据中心、互联网服务提供商、电信公司和蜂窝提供商-都在支持NFV。决定NFV承诺能否兑现的一个关键因素是用于实现NFV的体系结构及其实现的性能。当前的NFV体系结构正紧跟Web服务的趋势，其中流行的方法是使用基于微服务的体系结构：在这种情况下，网络功能部署在运行在基本操作系统上的轻量级容器中，并使用集群调度器进行管理。这些基于微服务的架构旨在提供敏捷性和横向扩展性能。虽然微服务非常适合于在很大程度上基于请求-响应的Web服务，但它们不适合NFV，因为它们对控制和数据平面都有影响。在这种基于微服务的体系结构中，高延迟是一个天然的障碍。但是，也可能出现与工作负载敏捷性、可用性和吞吐量以及隔离相关的各种其他问题。在这个项目中，PI将对现有的基于微服务的架构的权衡进行深入的实证研究。基于这些结果，PI将对两种替代体系结构进行研究，一种是基于流处理的稻草人，另一种是基于可扩展类内核设计的干净石板方法。最后，PI将开发指定网络函数处理和运行时组合、添加和删除NF的机制。该项目的学术价值在于，当涉及到使用微服务实现它们时，它将导致对Web服务和NFV之间的差异和共性的关键见解。此外，它还将引导人们深入了解如何创建针对NFV优化的基于微服务的底层框架。这一初步探索的结果可以为未来对NFV基本原理的研究提供信息，包括新兴NFV体系结构中的安全和隔离、NFV编程语言和验证。更广泛的影响：该项目也将产生重大的更广泛的影响。国际和平研究所计划聘请一名博士后研究员参与这项研究。因此，这项研究将为参与其中的博士后研究员提供几个专业发展机会。这项研究的结果将在CloudLab(公共云试验床)上以个人资料的形式提供，供其他研究人员使用。这项研究还将紧密整合到威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的课程中。

Network functions virtualization (NFV) promises to allow network operators to deploy new network functions (NFs) rapidly, quickly respond to external events, and ensure high performance and robustness. Thus, NFV can offer greater agility, scalability and performance-optimality than legacy networking gear. Many entities---including data centers, Internet Service Providers, telcos, and cellular providers---are espousing NFV. A key aspect that determines whether the promise of NFV can be fulfilled is the architecture used to realize NFV and the performance of its implementation. Current NFV architectures are closely following the trends corresponding to Web services where a popular approach is to use a microservices-based architecture: in this, network functions are deployed within light-weight containers running atop barebones operating systems, and managed using cluster schedulers. These microservices-based architecture is purported to offer agility and scale-out performance. While microservices are well suited for Web services that are largely request-response based, they are a poor fit for NFV because of the impact on both control and data planes. High latency is a natural impediment in such microservices-based architectures. But, a variety of other problems pertaining to workload agility, availability and throughput, and isolation can also arise. In this project, the PI will conduct an in-depth empirical study of the trade-offs of existing microservices-based architectures. Based on these results, the PI will conduct research into two alternate architectures, a strawman based on stream processing, and a clean-slate approach based on an extensible exokernel-like design. Finally, the PI will develop mechanisms to specify network functions processing and runtime composition, NF addition, and deletion. This project's intellectual merit lies in the fact that it will lead to key insights into the differences and commonalities between Web services and NFV when it comes to realizing them using microservices. Furthermore, it will lead to insights on how to create ground-up microservices-based frameworks that are optimized for NFV. The outcomes of this initial exploration can inform future research into the fundamentals of NFV including security and isolation in emerging NFV architectures, NFV programming languages, and verification. Broader Impact: The project will also have significant broader impact. The PI plans to engage a postdoctoral researcher in this research. Thus, the research will give rise to several professional development opportunities for the postdoctoral researcher involved. Outcomes from this research will be made available as profiles on CloudLab (a public cloud testbed) for other researchers to leverage. The research will also be tightly integrated into courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.