A Blockchain-based System for Secure and Distributed Virtual Network Functions Orchestration
Gustavo F. Camilo, Lucas Airam C. de Souza, Miguel Elias M. Campista, Luís Henrique M. K. Costa, Otto Carlos M. B. Duarte · 2022
Service provisioning in next-generation networks, such as 5G and 6G, relies on virtualization to carry out multi-domain and multi-tenant connections. In these scenarios, virtual network functions (VNF) orchestration becomes susceptible to security threats once trust between peers cannot be assumed. This paper1proposes a blockchain-based system for an agile, secure, and distributed provisioning of virtual network functions in scenarios with multiple administrative domains. Our proposal employs smart contracts to deliver all stages of a service-level-agreement management life cycle automatically. We develop, implement, and evaluate a prototype of the proposed system using smart contracts running on Hyperledger Fabric. The performance evaluation results show that the system guarantees high-rate VNF provisioning, reaching hundreds of slice requests per second in a trustful way.