A new BRAIN-based Approach to Resource Allocation using Consortiums
Rayan Gustavo O. J. Lima, Antônio A. de A. Rocha, Flávia C. Delicato · 2025
Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) virtualizes network functions typically provided by hardware, such as firewalls and routers, using Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs). Service Function Chains (SFCs) are sequences of VNFs that process user data streams, which can span different autonomous and competing infrastructure providers. Blockchain technology has been used several times for resource allocation solutions for VNFs, such as in BRAIN, using reverse auctions. This paper presents BRAIN*, an enhanced version of BRAIN, capable of managing SFC auctions in a single smart contract using consortiums. In addition, it proposes an interface for auction contracts and performs experiments to validate the proposed solution. Experimental results shows that BRAIN* con efficiently handles a high number of simultaneous auctions without incurring additional costs. The results also show that the proposed solution is more effective in scenarios with a high number of providers participating in the auctions, returning lower prices to users and maintain a block rate below 10%.