VNF service chaining in optical data center networks
Vikrant Nikam, James Gross, A. Rostami · 2017
Virtualized network function (VNF) service chaining in optical datacenter networks (DCN) is a more complex problem than that in packet-switched networks, as it introduces additional constraints related to the optical network. For example, in an optical DCN one needs to make sure that optical network resources are efficiently utilized, which requires multiplexing of several VNF chains to fill the optical pipes. In this paper, we first propose a novel and flexible DCN architecture based on optical circuit switching technology supporting service chaining in the optical domain. Then, we formulate the problem of VNF service chaining in the proposed optical DCN using integer linear problem (ILP) formulation and heuristic methods. We also numerically investigate the performance of the proposed architecture and the service chaining methods using a set of examples.