This ORCA functionality provisions end-to-end network slices using a combination of radio slices, implemented through SDRs and core slices, implemented through SDN. More information will be available by the end of 2018.
The FINS solution leverages on three specific module types : Experiment Configurator (EC, single instance: early experiment/ FINS components initialization and setup), Resource Manager (RM, single instance: management of all the lifecycle of the experiment) and Resource Agents (RA, multiple instance: adapters between RM and Resource Controllers enabling the execution at Controller side of the requests coming from RM). The FINS solution assumes that some Resource Controllers (RC: capable of controlling the available resources) are present in the experiment environment and that they can be interfaced at least by one of the available RA, to enable the RM to manage them.
All the information about Experiment components, initial configuration and evolution are included into descriptors. These descriptors contain a description of the components (both in general and instance-specific terms) and also a list of instructions that the system (RM) is required to perform to implement the expected behaviour of the system. Specific triggering conditions for operations to be performed can be defined: the system will process such descriptors and perform continuous check over such conditions. When a condition is met, its associated set of operation is executed automatically.
EC recreates the expected experiment topology by defining a GRE Tunnel between each couple of components that are supposed to be connected at SDN side.
FINS also extend each USRP controlling VM, by declaring on it a set of TAP interfaces and a local OpenVSwitch instance, which is connected to each of these TAP interface plus the interface(s) toward the rest of the experiment. The joining between SDR and SDN is performed here: leveraging on GNUradio modules, each communication from/to the given USRP can be associated with a specific TAP interface.
Slicing is managed by RM by injecting (through RA’s intermediation) into the involved SDR and SDN controllers a set of instruction that will configure each component properly. In the IRIS testbed, SDR components will be driven by the wishful controller, whilst the SDN components (also the OVS running into each of the USRP controlling VMs) by an SDN controller (ONOS). Depending on the TAP they are coming from, packets coming from SDR slices are specifically tagged and then injected into the SDN part of the experiment, where all the other components are configured to redirect them (via traffic rules associated to the tags ) on the proper route to their destination.
RM gathers feedbacks and notifications from associated modules, to build up and keep up a consistent view of the current status of the experiment. RM drives the evolution of the experiment according to the descriptors received from EC, but can also receive and react to on the fly requests coming (via dedicated interface) from Experiment Users. Experiment Users may also interact with the EC for more complex. reconfiguration purposes.
This functionality is accessible through github repository (https://github.com/orca-project/sdr-sdn), however permission is only granted for authorized user, please contact contact facocalj@tcd.ie to access the repository.