SIMECA: SDN-based IoT Mobile Edge Cloud ArchitectureBinh Nguyen, Nakjung Choi, Marina Thottan, Jacobus Van der Merwe

Email : {binh, kobus}@cs.utah.edu {nakjung.choi, marina.thottan}@nokia.com

Limitations of current LTE/EPC architecture in supporting IoT

1. Inflexibility in deploying new IoT services:- The network is "closed" with a heavy weight standards process.

2. Centralized deployment of core network functions:- Specialized and hardware-based equipment (SPGW, MME, PCRF)

deployed in a limited physical locations. 3. Heavy-weight data and control plane for IoT traffic:

- GTP tunnels add data plane overhead and forwarding states.- Maintaining GTP tunnels incurs control plane signaling.

Proposed mobile edge cloud architecture for IoT services

1. Multiple IoT service providers share an infrastructure.• IoT network service abstraction (ISA) realized by NFV, SDN, and

cloud.2. More distributed architecture: mobile edge network and

cloud.• NFV mobility functions and cloud deployed close to the edge,

SDN-based forwarding.3. Light-weight data and control plane for IoT devices.

• Remove GTP tunnels, best-effort forwarding to local cloud.• SDN-based path implementation.

Demo set up

SIMECA vs. LTE/EPC: number of forwarding states

Infrastructure: mobile edge network and edge cloud

References

1. PhantomNet. https://www.phantomnet.org. 2. OpenAirInterface. http://openairinterface.eurecom.fr. 3. OpenEPC. http://www.openepc.com/.

IoT Service Abstraction, Control and Data plane

GTP tunnels in LTE/EPC core network

OpenEPC eNB* 1

OpenEPC eNB* 2

IoT device 1

IoT device 2

Attenuator

Mobility Function

SDN controller

OVS SDN edge network

Server OVS 1

Server OVS 2

Server 1

Server 2

SDN-enabled Base Stations SDN-based Edge cloud

Edge cloud

Service platform 1

Service platform 2

SDN-edge network

<1ms

<1ms

<1ms

OAI eNB*Nexus 5

Provider Control plane

S1AP/ NAS

OPF

OPF

REST

src: DI1 dst: DI2

D1

src: DI1 dst: DI2

D2

src: RI1 dst: RI2

src: DI3 dst: A

D3

src: RI3 dst: A

A

BS1

BS2BS3 BS4

Demo scenarios

1. C2S attach:- Nexus 5 attaches to edge cloud via OAI eNB*.

2. P2P attach:- Emulated client attaches and communicates with the Nexus 5 via

emulated OPENEPC eNB*.3. Mobility:

- Emulated client hands-over and maintains a continuous flow with the Nexus 5.

Region 1 Region 2

Edge Cloud

SDN edgeNetwork

S-BS

gatewayswitch

MC-1MC-2

MFIC

Dumb-core (SDN edge)

MC

eNB-1

eNB-2

MME

S-BS

SGW PGW Internet

S1AP

S11S5S8

OPF/S1AP

EPC-core

BS1

BS2

GTP-U tunnels

SDN rules

S1-U

SIMECA

LTE/EPC

GS

MF

UE1

UE2

REST

M1

M2

GTP/UDP/IP UDP/IP Payload

36  Bytes 28  Bytes

IP  packet  inside  LTE/EPC  core  network

End-­point  sent  IP  packet

Identity mgnt

Connectivity Handover

NIBDevice tracking

Mobility interface

SDN

IoT service abstraction

Infrastructure

"Attach to server A"

MF MC

1

2

3

4

5