Robust deadline-aware network function parallelization framework under demand uncertainty

Abstract

The orchestration of Service Function Chains (SFCs) in Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) becomes crucial for ensuring efficient service provision, especially under dynamic and uncertain demand. Meanwhile, the parallelization of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) within an SFC can further optimize resource usage and reduce the risk of deadline violations. However, most existing works formulate the SFC orchestration problem in MEC with deterministic demands and costly runtime resource reprovisioning to handle dynamic demands. This paper introduces a Robust Deadline-aware network function Parallelization framework under Demand Uncertainty (RDPDU) designed to address the challenges posed by unpredictable fluctuations in user demand and resource availability within MEC networks. RDPDU to consider end-to-end latency for SFC assembly by modeling load-dependent processing latency and load-independent propagation latency. Also, RDPDU formulates the problem assuming uncertain demand by Quadratic Integer Programming (QIP) to be resistant to dynamic service demand fluctuations. By discovering dependencies between VNFs, the RDPDU effectively assembles multiple sub-SFCs instead of the original SFC. Finally, our framework uses Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to assemble sub-SFCs with guaranteed latency and deadline. By integrating DRL into the SFC orchestration problem, the framework adapts to changing network conditions and demand patterns, improving the overall system's flexibility and robustness. Experimental evaluations show that the proposed framework can effectively deal with demand fluctuations, latency, deadline, and scalability and improve performance against recent algorithms.