SLA Compliance in TOSCA-Based Multi-Access Edge Computing Deployments

Abstract

The increasing adoption of network-connected devices is driving computation closer to the network Edge, enabling latency-sensitive services through Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC). While this paradigm improves responsiveness, it makes it significantly difficult to manage the Quality of Service (QoS) in distributed application mashups, particularly when dynamic Service Level Agreements (SLAs) must be enforced across interdependent services. Existing TOSCA-based approaches provide expressive deployment models but offer limited support for runtime SLA management and for handling the cascading effects of corrective actions in complex MEC environments. This article proposes a framework for dynamic SLA management of TOSCA-described mashups deployed over MEC infrastructures. The framework combines a non-intrusive TOSCA extension, for client-specific SLA specification, with an impact-aware optimization model that explicitly captures both direct and indirect effects of remediation actions. The experimental evaluation demonstrates that neglecting indirect impacts frequently leads to suboptimal or even detrimental decisions. The proposed optimization strategy significantly improves SLA compliance by selecting actions that account for propagation effects across services, highlighting the importance of holistic, impact-aware decision-making in dynamic MEC deployments.