GenioSim: A Novel Simulation Platform for Edge Computing over Optical Networks

TL;DR

GenioSim is a new simulation platform designed to accurately model PON-enabled edge computing systems, supporting virtualization and complex resource management for capacity planning and policy evaluation.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation environment for hierarchical PON-enabled edge infrastructures with realistic behavior and flexible virtualization support.

Findings

GenioSim accurately models PON behavior and virtualization.

It enables evaluation of resource management policies.

Experiments demonstrate its usefulness for capacity planning.

Abstract

The convergence of Passive Optical Networks (PONs) and edge computing creates new opportunities: Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) can be repurposed as low-latency edge compute nodes for offloading workloads. However, exploring such design options early in the development cycle is costly and time-consuming, as prototyping requires specialized hardware and realistic traffic conditions. Simulation becomes essential, yet current tools are unable to accurately model this emerging class of systems. To address these gaps, we introduce GenioSim, a simulation platform for hierarchical PON-enabled edge infrastructures. It models OLTs and ONTs with realistic PON behavior, supports hybrid container- and VM-based virtualization, and provides multiple service and execution models. These capabilities enable the evaluation of resource management policies under complex, heterogeneous conditions. We present experiments in the context of use cases of industrial relevance, to show GenioSim can provide insights for capacity planning and for the choice of policies for container placement and task offloading in PON-enabled edge infrastructures.