A signaling protocol for service function localization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a distributed signaling protocol designed to efficiently locate service function instances near data paths, addressing key management challenges in cloud and edge computing environments.

Contribution

The paper presents the OSP protocol, a novel distributed off-path signaling method for service function localization in complex network architectures.

Findings

Demonstrates protocol scalability through experiments

Shows effectiveness in locating service functions near data paths

Addresses critical management issues in cloud and edge networks

Abstract

Current proposals for combining service functions (SFs) do not address some critical management issues, such as the discovery of SF instances close to IP data paths. This information is crucial for deploying complex services both in large cloud networks, where SFs may be moved or replicated, and in the emerging fog/mobile edge computing systems. For this purpose, in this letter we propose the distributed off-path signaling protocol (OSP). We show the protocol functions and demonstrate its scalability and effectiveness by experimental results.