Automating 5G network slice management for industrial applications

IF 4.5 3区计算机科学 Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Computer Communications Pub Date : 2024-11-04 DOI:10.1016/j.comcom.2024.107991

André Perdigão, José Quevedo, Rui L. Aguiar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The transition to Industry 4.0 introduces new use cases with unique communication requirements, demanding wireless technologies capable of dynamically adjusting their performance to meet various demands. Leveraging network slicing, 5G technology offers the flexibility to support such use cases. However, the usage and deployment of network slices in networks are complex tasks. To increase the adoption of 5G, there is a need for mechanisms that automate the deployment and management of network slices. This paper introduces a design for a network slice manager capable of such mechanisms in 5G networks. This design adheres to related standards, facilitating interoperability with other software, while also considering the capabilities and limitations of the technology. The proposed design can provision custom slices tailored to meet the unique requirements of verticals, offering communication performance across the spectrum of the three primary 5G services (eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC/mIoT). To access the proposed design, a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) prototype was developed and evaluated. The evaluation results demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed solution for deploying slices adjusted to the vertical use cases. Additionally, the slices generated by the PoC maintain a high TRL (Technology Readiness Level) equivalent to that of the commercial-graded network used.

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实现面向工业应用的 5G 网络切片管理自动化

向工业 4.0 的过渡引入了具有独特通信要求的新用例，要求无线技术能够动态调整性能以满足各种需求。借助网络切片，5G 技术可灵活支持此类用例。然而，在网络中使用和部署网络切片是一项复杂的任务。为了提高 5G 的采用率，需要建立能自动部署和管理网络切片的机制。本文介绍了能够在 5G 网络中实现此类机制的网络片管理器的设计。该设计符合相关标准，便于与其他软件互操作，同时也考虑了技术的能力和局限性。所提出的设计可以提供定制切片，以满足垂直行业的独特要求，并提供三种主要 5G 服务（eMBB、URLLC 和 mMTC/MIoT）的通信性能。为实现拟议的设计，开发并评估了一个概念验证（PoC）原型。评估结果表明，所提出的解决方案可灵活部署根据垂直用例调整的切片。此外，PoC 生成的切片保持了较高的 TRL（技术就绪水平），与所使用的商业级网络相当。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Computer Communications 工程技术-电信学

CiteScore

14.10

自引率

5.00%

发文量

397

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Computer and Communications networks are key infrastructures of the information society with high socio-economic value as they contribute to the correct operations of many critical services (from healthcare to finance and transportation). Internet is the core of today''s computer-communication infrastructures. This has transformed the Internet, from a robust network for data transfer between computers, to a global, content-rich, communication and information system where contents are increasingly generated by the users, and distributed according to human social relations. Next-generation network technologies, architectures and protocols are therefore required to overcome the limitations of the legacy Internet and add new capabilities and services. The future Internet should be ubiquitous, secure, resilient, and closer to human communication paradigms. Computer Communications is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes high-quality scientific articles (both theory and practice) and survey papers covering all aspects of future computer communication networks (on all layers, except the physical layer), with a special attention to the evolution of the Internet architecture, protocols, services, and applications.