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Use Cases and Requirements of Dynamic Service Control based on Performance Monitoring in ACTN Architecture
draft-xu-actn-perf-dynamic-service-control-00

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Authors Yunbin Xu , Guoying Zhang , Weiqiang Cheng , Haomian Zheng
Last updated 2014-02-13
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draft-xu-actn-perf-dynamic-service-control-00
Network Working Group                                       Yunbin Xu
Internet Draft                                                   CATR
Intended status: Informational
Expires: August2014
                                                         Guoying Zhang
                                                                   CATR

                                                         Weiqiang Cheng
                                                                   CMCC

                                                          Haomian zheng
                                                                 Huawei

                                                      February 13, 2014

       Use Cases and Requirements of Dynamic Service Control based on
                Performance Monitoring in ACTN Architecture
             draft-xu-actn-perf-dynamic-service-control-00.txt

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Abstract

   This document introduces the dynamic creation, modification and
   optimization of services based on the performance monitoring in the
   Abstraction and Control of Transport Networks (ACTN) architecture.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ................................................ 3
   2. Use Cases and Requirements for Dynamic Service Control based on
   Performance Monitoring ......................................... 4
      2.1. Dynamic Service Control based on Traffic Monitoring...... 4
      2.2. Dynamic Service Control based on SLA monitoring.......... 4
   3. Workflows of ACTN Control Modules............................ 5
      3.1. Workflows for Traffic Monitoring based Dynamic Service
      Control ..................................................... 5
      3.2. Workflows for SLA monitoring based Dynamic Service control6
   4. Requirement for ACTN Interface............................... 8
      4.1. Interface Requirements for Dynamic Service Control Based on
      Traffic Monitoring .......................................... 8
      4.2. Interface Requirements of Dynamic Service Control based on
      SLA monitoring .............................................. 9
      4.3. Discussion ............................................ 10
   5. Security Considerations..................................... 10
   6. IANA Considerations ........................................ 10
   7. References ................................................. 10
      7.1. Informative References................................. 10

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1. Introduction

   The rapid growth of Internet traffic and the emerging applications
   such as cloud computing, datacenter interconnection, IP and optical
   integration, LTE backhauling, are driving the transport network to
   provide dynamic service provisioning based on the customer
   requirement and high quality services with guaranteed performance.

   For datacenter interconnection services, IP network transit links,
   LTE backhauling services or some business customer services, the
   traffic vary over time. However, traditional optical network could
   only provide connection based on the maximum bandwidth needed. Based
   on flow traffic monitoring, it is possible to adjust the connection
   bandwidth according to the real bandwidth needed, create new
   connections or increase bandwidth when network traffic exceeds some
   certain threshold or reduce connection bandwidth when traffic drops
   down, thus helping the customers to save cost.

   On the other hand, customers have different SLA requirements. Some
   customers such as financial service companies need ultra-low-latency
   transmission, some other customers has strict requirements on bit
   error rate (BER). In order to provide high quality services
   according to customer SLA, network provider needs to measure the
   service performance, and dynamically provision and optimize services
   based on the performance monitoring result.

   The optical transport networks support various performance
   monitoring  mechanisms, such as traffic flow statistics, packet
   delay, delay variation, throughput and packet-loss rate for MPLS-TP
   and packet OTN networks, BER, FEC error correction counters for OTN
   and DWDM networks, etc. These mechanisms can be used to support
   dynamic service control based on performance monitoring.

   The Abstraction and Control of Transport Networks (ACTN) described
   in [ACTN-FWK] provides a centralized control architecture and open
   interfaces that can transmit the customer requirements and policies
   to the network, and provide customers with the network status to
   make a decision. This draft mainly discusses the use cases and
   requirements of dynamic service control based on performance
   monitoring in ACTN architecture, the requirements for southbound and
   northbound interface are also discussed.

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2. Use Cases and Requirements for Dynamic Service Control based on
   Performance Monitoring

2.1. Dynamic Service Control based on Traffic Monitoring

   For LTE backhauling based on MPLS-TP packet transport networks(PTN)
   or packet OTN, it is required that real time or semi-real time
   traffic monitoring of the network should be conducted so as to
   resize or optimize traffic and do load balance. In IP and optical
   network integration scenario, the optical network can bypass IP
   transit traffic as far as the transit traffic bandwidth is large
   enough to occupy the granularity of an ODUk. Network traffic
   monitoring is important to facilitate automatic discovery of the
   imbalance of network traffic, and initiate the network optimization,
   thus helping the network operator or the virtual network service
   provider to use the network more efficiently and save CAPEX/OPEX.

   For datacenter interconnection or enterprise leased line services,
   the traffic may vary over time and the customer want to pay for the
   bandwidth they really used. Therefore, it is important to provide
   some mechanism to monitor the network traffic, adjust and optimize
   the services dynamically to help the customers save expenses.

   In order to support these scenarios, the customers or client layer
   network controllers need to send traffic monitoring and control
   policies to the network, while the transport network should report
   the traffic monitoring results and dynamically control and adjust
   network connections based on the traffic optimization policy. The
   service adjustment or network optimization operations normally
   should be initiated with the decision of the customer.

2.2. Dynamic Service Control based on SLA monitoring

   Customer services have various SLA requirements, such as service
   availability, latency, latency jitter, packet loss rate, BER, etc.
   The transport network can satisfy service availability and BER
   requirements by providing different protection and restoration
   mechanisms. However, for other performance parameters, there are no
   such mechanisms.

   In order to provide high quality services according to customer SLA,
   one possible solution is to measure the service SLA related
   performance parameters, and dynamically provision and optimize
   services based on the performance monitoring results.

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   When the network performance deterioration that violates the SLA is
   detected, service optimization operations such as service rerouting,
   creation of new connections could be automatically started.

   In order to support this requirement, the customer should be able to
   send its SLA information to the network, and the transport network
   should determine which performance parameters need to be monitored
   and the strategy of service optimization. When the service
   performance degradation is detected, the transport network can
   notify the customer and immediately start the service optimization
   procedure, so as to reduce the impact on the service.

3. Workflows of ACTN Control Modules

   In the ACTN architecture [ACTN-FWK], centralized controllers
   including Physical Network Controller (PNC), Virtual Network
   Controller (VNC), customer controller, and the interfaces between
   them have been defined.

   For different use cases and scenarios the workflows across the
   customer controller, VNC and PNC are different.

3.1. Workflows for Traffic Monitoring based Dynamic Service Control

   Figure 1 shows the workflows for dynamic service control based on
   traffic monitoring.

   In order to realize dynamic service creation, adjustment and
   optimization based on traffic monitoring, the customer controller
   should send traffic monitoring and traffic optimization strategies
   to Virtual Network Controller (VNC). VNC sends the corresponding
   path traffic monitoring request to PNC. Traffic monitoring
   parameters and monitoring cycle need to be carried in this request.

   PNC gets the traffic monitoring results from the underlying physical
   networks, then reports to VNC. According to the traffic optimization
   strategy obtained from the customer controller, VNC determines
   whether the service needs to be adjusted, or a new connection should
   be created. If it needs to, then VNC send the traffic monitoring
   results to the customer controller, indicating that the service
   needs adjustment.

   Customer controller confirms whether the service can be optimized,
   then sends a service adjustment request to VNC. VNC will convert it
   into path modification or creation request, and send it to PNC to
   complete the service optimization. Then, PNC returns the
   optimization results to VNC, and VNC passes the results to the
   customer controller.

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   +------------------------------------------------+
   | Customer   +-----------------------------+     |
   | Controller | Dynamic Service Control APP |     |
   |            +-----------------------------+     |
   +------------------------------------------------+
   1.Traffic|  /|\4.Traffic           | /|\
   Monitor& |   |  Monitor            |  | 8.Traffic
   Optimize |   |  Result   5.Service |  | modify &
   Policy   |   |             modify& |  | optimize
           \|/  |       optimize Req.\|/ | result
   +------------------------------------------------+
   | Virtual    +-------------------------------+   |
   | Network    |Dynamic Service Control Agent  |   |
   | Controller +-------------------------------+   |
   |      +---------------+ +-------------------+   |
   |      | Flow Optimize | | vConnection Agent |   |
   |      +---------------+ +-------------------+   |
   +------------------------------------------------+
   2. Path  |  /|\3.Traffic           |  |
   Monitor  |   | Monitor             |  |7.Path
   Request  |   | Result     6.Path   |  | modify &
            |   |            modify&  |  | optimize
           \|/  |       optimize Req.\|/ | result
   +-----------------------------------------------+
   | Physical   +----------------------+           |
   | Network    | Network Provisioning |           |
   | Controller +----------------------+           |
   |            +----------------------+           |
   |            | Network Monitoring   |           |
   |            +----------------------+           |
   +-----------------------------------------------+
      Figure 1 Workflows for dynamic service control based on traffic
                                monitoring

3.2. Workflows for SLA monitoring based Dynamic Service control

   Figure 2 shows the workflows for dynamic service control based on
   SLA related performance monitoring.

   Customer controller sends the customer service SLA information and
   the performance based optimization strategy to VNC.

   VNC will convert the SLA information to path performance monitoring
   request, which carries the performance monitoring parameters such as

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   delay, jitter, packet loss, bit error rate and monitoring cycle, and
   then send it to the PNC.

   PNC starts the performance monitoring in the underlying physical
   networks, collects the results of related path, and reports to VNC.
   VNC determines whether the relevant performance parameters can
   satisfy the SLA agreements. If the performance degradation seriously
   influences the service, such as service packet delay exceeds the
   performance threshold, VNC will immediately start the optimization
   and adjustment. Then the performance monitoring results as well as
   the optimizing or adjusting results will be send to the customer
   controller.

   +------------------------------------------------+
   | Customer   +-----------------------------+     |
   | Controller | Dynamic Service Control APP |     |
   |            +-----------------------------+     |
   +------------------------------------------------+
   1. SLA&  |  /|\6.SLA               |
   Optimize |   |  Monitor, modify &  |
   Policy   |   |  Optimize           |
            |   |  Result             | 7.Ack
           \|/  |                    \|/
   +------------------------------------------------+
   | Virtual    +-------------------------------+   |
   | Network    |Dynamic Service Control Agent  |   |
   | Controller +-------------------------------+   |
   |      +---------------+ +-------------------+   |
   |      | Flow Optimize | | vConnection Agent |   |
   |      +---------------+ +-------------------+   |
   +------------------------------------------------+
   2. Path  |  /|\3.SLA               | /|\
   Monitor  |   | Monitor             |  |5.Path
   Request  |   | Result     4.Path   |  | Modify &
            |   |            Modify&  |  | Optimize
           \|/  |       Optimize Req.\|/ | Result
   +------------------------------------------------+
   | Physical   +----------------------+            |
   | Network    | Network Provisioning |            |
   | Controller +----------------------+            |
   |            +----------------------+            |
   |            | Network Monitoring   |            |
   |            +----------------------+            |
   +------------------------------------------------+

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        Figure 2 Workflows for dynamic service control based on SLA
                                monitoring

4. Requirement for ACTN Interface

   ACTN Interfaces defined [ACTN-FWK] includes the following:

   o Consumer-VNC Interface (CVI): an interface between a customer
      controller and a virtual network controller.

   o VNC-PNC Interface (VPI): an interface between a virtual network
      controller and a physical network controller.

4.1. Interface Requirements for Dynamic Service Control Based on
   Traffic Monitoring

   According to the work flow of dynamic service control based on
   performance monitoring, the information carried in CVI interface
   mainly relates to the traffic monitoring and control strategy, while
   the VPI interface mainly relates to transports path related traffic
   monitoring parameters and results.

   1. CVI Interface

   The following information is used by the customer controller to send
   to VNC through the CVI interface.

   o Customer service performance monitoring strategy, including the
      traffic monitoring object (the service need to be monitored),
      monitoring parameters (e.g., transmitted and received bytes per
      unit time), traffic monitoring cycle (e.g., 15 minutes, 24 hours),
      threshold of traffic monitoring (e.g., high and low threshold),
      etc.

   o Customer service optimization strategy, such as enabling service
      creation or modification when traffic exceeds the threshold.

   The following information is used for VNC to send to the customer
   controller through VPI interface.

   o Traffic monitoring results, to indicate if the traffic exceeds
      the bandwidth threshold.

   2. VPI Interface

   The following parameters are used for VNC to send to PNC.

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   o Traffic monitoring parameters, monitoring object, monitoring cycle,
      performance threshold.

   The following information is used for PNC to send to VNC.

   o Traffic monitoring results.

4.2. Interface Requirements of Dynamic Service Control based on SLA
   monitoring

   According to the work flow of dynamic service control based on SLA
   monitoring, the information in VCI interface mainly contains the SLA
   related information and measurement strategy, while the VPI
   interface mainly transports path related performance monitoring
   parameters and results.

   1. CVI Interface

   The following information is used by the customer controller to send
   to the VNC through CVI interface.

   o SLA related performance requirement information, including the
      required quality of service parameters (e.g., BER, delay, delay
      jitter, packet loss rate, throughput, etc.).

   o Service optimization strategy, including the service performance
      degradation thresholds and the consequent operations that are
      allowed (e.g., rerouting).

   The following information is used by the customer controller to send
   to VNC.

   o Monitoring results of service performance, including performance
      monitoring parameters, and the services that have been influenced.

   o Service optimization results based on performance.

   2. VPI Interface

   The following information is used by VNC to send to PNC.

   o The path performance monitoring request parameters, monitoring
      cycle and threshold.

   The following information is used for PNC sending to VNC.

   o Path performance monitoring results.

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4.3. Discussion

   Performance monitoring in a large scale network could generate a
   huge amount of performance information. Therefore, the appropriate
   way to deliver the information in CVI and VPI interfaces should be
   carefully considered.

5. Security Considerations

   This document raises no new security issues.

6. IANA Considerations

   No new IANA considerations are raised by this document.

7. References

7.1. Informative References

   [ACTN-FWK] Daniele C., Luyuan Fang, Yong Lee and Diego Lopez,
             "Framework for Abstraction and Control of Transport
             Networks",draft-ceccarelli-actn-framework-00.

Authors' Address

   Yunbin Xu
   China Academy of Telecom Research
   NO.52 Huayuan Beilu, Haidian District, Beijing, China
   Email: xuyunbin@catr.cn

   Guoying Zhang
   China Academy of Telecom Research
   NO.52 Huayuan Beilu, Haidian District, Beijing, China
   Email: zhangguoying@catr.cn

   Weiqiang Cheng
   China Mobile
   No.32 Xuanwumen West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China
   Email:chengweiqiang@chinamobile.com

   Haomian Zheng
   Huawei Technologies
   F3-1-B R&D Center, Bantian, Longgang District Shenzhen, China
   Email: zhenghaomian@huawei.com

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