Since the success of Vision Transformers (ViTs), there has been growing interest in combining ConvNets and Transformers in the computer vision community. While the hybrid models have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance, many of these models are too large and complex to be applied to edge devices for real-world applications. To address this challenge, we propose an efficient hybrid network called ECTFormer that leverages the strengths of ConvNets and Transformers while considering both model performance and inference speed. Specifically, our approach involves: (1) optimizing the combination of convolution kernels by dynamically adjusting kernel sizes based on the scale of feature tensors; (2) revisiting existing overlapping patchify to not only reduce the model size but also propagate fine-grained patches for the performance enhancement; and (3) introducing an efficient single-head self-attention mechanism, rather than multi-head self-attention in the base Transformer, to minimize the increase in model size and boost inference speed, overcoming bottlenecks of ViTs. In experimental results on ImageNet-1K, ECTFormer not only demonstrates comparable or higher top-1 accuracy but also faster inference speed on both GPUs and edge devices compared to other efficient networks. • Proposed an efficient network that exploits the strengths of ConvNet and Transformer. • Configured dynamic kernel sizes according to downsampling ratios for feature tensors. • Proposed an efficient and effective patch embedding method. • Proposed a novel efficient attention mechanism with minimized parameter expansion.

In modern network structures that become more complex and emphasize flexibility, the demand for the automation of network management and Intent Driven Network (IDN) continues to increase. In response, technology utilizing virtualization and control plane separation has developed, and research on network automation based on this is being actively conducted. However, limited studies focus on building an automated network in environments comprised of traditional switches that lack support for these advanced functionalities. Consequently, this study presents a technology proposal that creates the CLI command for existing commercial switches by incorporating user requests conveyed through natural language. For this purpose, we applied Large Language Model (LLM) for generating and Network Digital Twin for verification environment.

Network orchestration is pivotal in automating device, equipment, and service management within the network system. Currently, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) offers immense potential, but the challenge still lies in designing a capable orchestrator for dynamic networks. To address this challenge, we propose an AI-based NFV Orchestration Framework that leverages self-learning capabilities to detect dynamic network changes and make optimal decisions. This framework covers a range of essential functionalities, including NFV Orchestration, VNF Deployment, Service Function Chaining (SFC), Auto-Scaling, Migration, Anomaly Detection, Power Management, and Attack & Intrusion Detection. These functions collectively form a comprehensive ML-driven orchestration framework that offers adaptability, intelligence, and efficiency across the entire NFV environment. Our proposed structure aims for zero-touch automation, contributing to the efficient management of dynamic NFV network environments, and making it a compelling solution for the future of networking.

In management of computer network systems, a service function chaining (SFC) module plays a vital role in generating an efficient network traffic path that connects virtualized network functions (VNF) on network topology to serve a user request. The SFC module needs to generate a complete path quickly even in various network situations, including dynamic VNF resources, various types of requests, and various network topologies to provide the best quality of service. The previous supervised learning method demonstrated that graph neural networks (GNN) could represent network features for the SFC task. However, the supervised learning method works properly only in the network situation in which the model was trained with labels. Due to the limitation, it showed poor performance on new unseen network situations. In this paper, we apply a reinforcement learning algorithm to train GNN based models in various network situations even without label information. In the experiments, compared to the previous supervised learning method, the proposed methods demonstrate remarkable generalization effects, showing that the proposed methods could work successfully on unseen network situations without re-designing and re-training.

Softwarization of the internet network is promising for network service providers (NSPs) to satisfy various types of user requests while dynamically operating the networking system. However, it is challenging to provide optimal service quality as the complexity of the network increases. In particular, deployment of the VNF instances is a critical issue in providing better QoS while maintaining resources optimally. For the management of the VNF deployment task, dynamic programming algorithms are only feasible in small networks or rely on heuristics. In this paper, we propose a VNF deployment method based on reinforcement learning (RL) that can effectively satisfy the QoS with minimized resource consumption in the network. Our approach makes adjustment decisions, which are scale-in/keep/out for target nodes and target VNF types given ILP-based deployments. We formulate this VNF deployment task as RL by setting the reward as QoS and resources. Moreover, we propose a model architecture for our RL agent's policy, based on Graph Neural Network. In the experiment, our approach optimizes VNF deployment with improved QoS while keeping the similar or slightly less amount of resources, compared to ILP-based deployment.

Network softwarization paradigms such as SDN and NFV provide network operators with advantages in terms of scalability, cost and resource efficiency, as well as flexibility. However, in order to fully reap these benefits and cope with new challenges regarding the heterogeneity of user demands and an ever-growing service landscape, management and operation of such networks requires a high degree of automation that ensures fast and proactive decision making. With the recent success of machine learning (ML) across numerous domains, a shift from traditional rule-based policies towards ML-based approaches in the context of network management is taking place. Although many individual contributions cover use cases such as predicting various network characteristics or optimizing the configuration of components, a fully integrated architecture for achievingNetwork Intelligenceis still missing. Hence, in this work, we propose such an architecture that combines the capabilities of softwarized networks with ML-based management. The contribution of this article is threefold: first, we present the proposed architecture alongside its components. Second, we implement a proof-of-concept version of all components in our OpenStack-based testbed. Finally, we demonstrate in a case study regarding VNF resource prediction how the proposed architecture can be used to generate realistic data sets to train and evaluate ML-based models for this task.

Software-defined networking (SDN) and the network function virtualization (NFV) led to great developments in software based control technology by decreasing expenditures. Service function chaining (SFC) is an important technology to find efficient paths in network servers to process all of the requested virtualized network functions (VNF). However, SFC is challenging since it has to maintain high Quality of Service (QoS) even for complicated situations. Although some works have been conducted for such tasks with high-level intelligent models like deep neural networks (DNNs), those approaches are not efficient in utilizing the topology information of networks and cannot be applied to networks with dynamically changing topology since their models assume that the topology is fixed. In this paper, we propose a new neural network architecture for SFC, which is based on graph neural network (GNN) considering the graph-structured properties of network topology. The proposed SFC model consists of an encoder and a decoder, where the encoder finds the representation of the network topology, and then the decoder estimates probabilities of neighborhood nodes and their probabilities to process a VNF. In the experiments, our proposed architecture outperformed previous performances of DNN based baseline model. Moreover, the GNN based model can be applied to a new network topology without re-designing and re-training.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) help reduce OPEX and CAPEX as well as increase network flexibility and agility. But at the same time, operators have to cope with the increased complexity of managing virtual networks and machines, which are more dynamic and heterogeneous than before. Since this complexity is paired with strict time requirements for making management decisions, traditional mechanisms that rely on, e.g., Integer Linear Programming (ILP) models are no longer feasible. Machine learning has emerged as a possible solution to address network management problems to get near-optimal solutions in a short time. In this paper, we propose a Graph Neural Network (GNN) based algorithm to manage VNFs. The proposed model solves the complex VNF management problem in a short time and gets near-optimal solutions.

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) environment can deal with dynamic changes in traffic status with appropriate deployment and scaling of Virtualized Network Function (VNF). However, determining and applying the optimal VNF deployment in consideration of the cost and Quality of Service (QoS) is a complicated and difficult task. In particular, it is necessary to predict the situation at a future point when the deployment decision is applied because it takes processing time to apply the deployment decision to the actual NFV environment. In this paper, we randomly generate service requests in Multiaccess Edge Computing (MEC) topology, then obtain optimal VNF deployment and Service Function Chaining (SFC) result from an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) solution. We use the simulation data to train a machine learning model which predicts the optimal VNF deployment at a predefined future point. The prediction model shows the accuracy over 90% compared to the ILP solution for the 5-minute future time point.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) help reduce OPEX and CAPEX as well as increase network flexibility and agility. But at the same time, operators have to cope with the increased complexity of managing virtual networks and machines, which are more dynamic and heterogeneous than before. Since this complexity is paired with strict time requirements for making management decisions, traditional mechanisms that rely on, e.g., Integer Linear Programming (ILP) models are no longer feasible. Machine learning has emerged as a possible solution to address network management problems to get near-optimal solutions in a short time. In this paper, we propose a Graph Neural Network (GNN) based algorithm to manage Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). The proposed model solves the complex VNF management prob-lem in a short time and gets near-optimal solutions.

Service Function Chaining (SFC) can be a basic deployment unit that composes a chaining order of required network functions to provide a network service. With the proliferation of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and cloud computing, such virtualized network functions can be dynamically deployed in different sites, depending on SFC requests. While offering the advantages of flexibility and efficiency, this also leaves management complexity and room for optimization where Machine Learning (ML) can be applicable to solve the problems based on monitoring data. In this paper, we treat SFC as a problem of finding a best source-to-destination routing path from multiple candidates with different link costs and a required traversal order of network functions. There are many mathematical approaches that ensure best optimum but not scalable to the problem size, whereas our approach hides underlying considerations by applying ML technique on measured SFC data to quickly find suboptimal routing paths on a new SFC request, based on their predicted network performance such as the number of successful requests or end-to-end delay. So, we developed a measurement system that records the performance and path costs of SFCs in emulated networks with different per link costs and chain lengths. Then, we evaluate four different ML models for the approach described above.

In addition to providing network operators with benefits in terms of flexibility and cost efficiency, softwarization paradigms like SDN and NFV are key enablers for the concept of Service Function Chaining (SFC). The corresponding networks need to support a wide range of services and applications with highly dynamic temporal profiles and heterogeneous demands. Hence, efficient management and operation of such networks requires a high degree of automation that is paired with fast and proactive decisions in order to cope with these phenomena. In particular, determining the optimal number of VNF instances that is required for accommodating current and upcoming demands is a crucial task that also affects subsequent management decisions. To enable fast and proactive decisions in this context, we propose a machine learning-based approach that uses recent monitoring data to predict whether to adapt the current number of VNF instances of a given type. Furthermore, we present a work flow for generating labeled training data that reflects temporal dynamics and heterogeneous demands of real world networks. In addition to demonstrating the feasibility of the approach in a case study, we provide guidelines regarding the choice of monitoring data that should be collected for reliable prediction as well as the amount of data that is required to train such a predictor.

In addition to providing network operators with benefits in terms of flexibility and cost efficiency, softwarization paradigms like SDN and NFV are key enablers for the concept of Service Function Chaining (SFC). The corresponding networks need to support a wide range of services and applications with highly heterogeneous requirements that change dynamically during the network's lifetime. Hence, efficient management and operation of such networks requires a high degree of automation that is paired with fast and proactive decisions in order to cope with these phenomena. In particular, determining the optimal number of VNF instances that is required for accommodating current and upcoming demands is a crucial task that also affects subsequent management decisions. To enable fast and proactive decisions in this context, we propose a machine learning-based approach that uses recent monitoring data to predict whether to adapt the current number of VNF instances of a given type. Furthermore, we present a methodology for generating labeled training data that reflects temporal dynamics and heterogeneous demands of real world networks. We demonstrate the feasibility of the approach using two different network topologies that represent WAN and mobile edge computing use cases, respectively. Additionally, we investigate how well the models generalize among networks and provide guidelines regarding the prediction horizon, i.e., how far ahead predictions can be performed in a reliable manner.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) greatly facilitate network service management. Specifically, these new network paradigms help manage the network environment dynamically and cost-efficiently. Virtual Network Function (VNF) and Service Function Chaining (SFC) are important aspects of the NFV environment. In terms of NFV management, resource demand of VNFs can be predicted at a future time to handle Quality of Service (QoS) and resource allocation problems efficiently. Hence, researchers study and build a management system where machine-learning-based predictions of VNF information are used to handle auto-scaling, deployment and migration of VNFs. In addition, in recent studies, these systems have involved SFC to obtain useful information, not just a lone VNF. However, not many of studies explain clearly how chaining dependency among VNFs in a SFC can be used to predict future resource demand of a VNF. In this paper, we introduce VNF resource prediction machine learning model that maximizes the benefits of using SFC. Then, we compare several machine learning models and analyze how SFC data can help predict resource usage patterns of VNFs. We also show benefits of Attention model to improve prediction accuracy and convergence time through experiments.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) are paradigms that help administrators to manage dynamic networks. While SDN allows centralized network control, NFV provides flexible and scalable Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). These paradigms are also enablers for concepts such as Service Function Chaining (SFC) where chains are composed of several VNFs to provide a specific service. However, in order to maximize the benefits from the above-mentioned flexibility, new research questions need to be addressed, e.g., regarding effective management processes for dynamic networks. We proposed a novel learning model based on the flexibility of softwarization and abundant volume of monitoring data in NFV environments to predict VNF resource demands using SFC data. Our model is based on Context and Aspect Embedded Attentive Target Dependent Long Short Term Memory (CAT-LSTM) that consists of Target-Dependent LSTM (TD-LSTM), context embedding, aspect embedding, and attention. We developed this model to obtain high accuracy for the prediction of VNF resources such as the CPU. Our model uses two labeling systems: the qualitative resource state and the quantitative resource usage, both of which are used to evaluate its performance. This assists the administrator in understanding the network conditions, improves prediction performance, and provides practically useful information. Our learning model for predicting VNF resource demands can be utilized to solve essential SFC problems such as auto-scaling and optimal placement, which in turn prevent service interruption and provide high reliability.