Heterogeneous architectures applied to network functions virtualization infrastructures

• Grant number: 21/06947-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computer Systems
• Agreement: MCTI/MC
• Principal Investigator: Gabriel Luca Nazar
• Grantee: Gabriel Luca Nazar
• Host Institution: Instituto de Informática. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Porto Alegre , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alberto Egon Schaeffer Filho

Abstract

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is a paradigm that promotes important innovation on the Internet and on computer networks in general. By decoupling network functions from dedicated devices, and instead implementing them as Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) on General-Purpose Processors (GPPs), NFV offers greater flexibility and reductions in capital and operational expenses. However, to enable its widespread adoption in large scale networks as well, it is important to offer the required performance, which is not always feasible in GPPs. Heterogeneous architectures, integrating devices such as GPPs and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) may become a solution, combining high performance and flexibility through the execution, on FPGAs, of those VNF Components (VNFCs) that take greater advantage of these devices. The adoption of FPGAs in NFV finds, however, issues on the development of VNFCs that use these devices efficiently, especially in heterogeneous infrastructures equipped with FPGAs of different capabilities and sizes. Moreover, the management of these infrastructures is typically not aware of the heterogeneous resources in each node or of the performance attained by each VNFC in each of these varied devices. Thus, this project proposes addressing these problems through: i) design methodologies based on high-level synthesis and design space exploration to quickly generate multiple VNFC configurations for heterogeneous devices; and ii) the development of scalable heuristics for the placement of VNFCs in heterogeneous NFV infrastructures. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BACHINI LOPES, FILIPE; SCHAEFFER-FILHO, ALBERTO E.; NAZAR, GABRIEL LUCA. Modular VNF Components Acceleration With FPGA Overlays. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NETWORK AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT, v. 20, n. 1, p. 12-pg., 2023-03-01. (21/06947-6)