Next-generation networks are expected to provide higher data rates and ultra-low latency in support of demanding applications, such as virtual and augmented reality, robots and drones, etc . To meet these stringent requirements of applications, edge computing constitutes a central piece of the solution architecture wherein functional components of an application can be deployed over the edge network to reduce bandwidth demand over the core network while providing ultra-low latency communication to users. In this article, we provide solutions to resource orchestration and management for applications over a virtualized client-edge-server infrastructure. We investigate the problem of optimal placement of pipelines of application functions (virtual service chains) and the steering of traffic through them, over a multi-technology edge network model consisting of both wired and wireless millimeter-wave (mmWave) links. This problem is $\mathcal {NP}$ -hard. We provide a comprehensive “microscopic” binary integer program to model the system, along with a heuristic that is one order of magnitude faster than optimally solving the problem. Extensive evaluations demonstrate the benefits of orchestrating virtual service chains (by distributing them over the edge network) compared to a baseline “middlebox” approach in terms of overall admissible virtual capacity. Moreover, we observe significant gains when deploying a small number of mmWave links that complement the Wire physical infrastructure in high node density networks.

中文翻译：

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在多技术边缘网络上管理应用程序功能链

下一代网络有望提供更高的数据速率和超低延迟，以支持诸如虚拟现实和增强现实，机器人和无人机， 等等 。为了满足应用程序的这些严格要求，边缘计算构成了解决方案体系结构的核心部分，其中应用程序的功能组件可以部署在边缘网络上，以减少核心网络上的带宽需求，同时为用户提供超低延迟的通信。在本文中，我们提供了针对虚拟化应用程序的资源编排和管理的解决方案客户端服务器基础设施。我们在由有线和无线毫米波（mmWave）链接组成的多技术边缘网络模型上研究了应用程序功能（虚拟服务链）的管道的最佳放置以及通过它们的流量控制的问题。这个问题是 $ \ mathcal {NP} $ -难的。我们提供了一个全面的“微观”二进制整数程序来对该系统进行建模，同时提供一种启发式方法，该方法比最佳解决问题的速度快一个数量级。广泛的评估表明，相对于基准“中间盒”方法，虚拟服务链（通过将它们分布在边缘网络上）在整体可允许虚拟容量方面的优势。此外，部署少量的毫米波 补充的链接 金属丝 高节点密度网络中的物理基础架构。