Why We Have to Embrace Complexity for Reliability, Availability and Serviceability of Future Networks and 5G

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Percival Douglas
6 years ago
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1 Gruppo Telecom Italia Emerging Technology Reliability Roundtable 2017 Bologna, 3 July 2017 in conjunction with IEEE Netsoft Why We Have to Embrace Complexity for Reliability, Availability and Serviceability of Future Networks and 5G Antonio Manzalini, PhD

2 Abstract The decoupling of software architectures from hardware infrastructure (SDN) and the virtualization of resources and functions (NFV) are opening several new and intertwined challenges for future networks: one of them is Complexity, a systemic challenge. In fact, future 5G infrastructures will assume the form of extended and distributed execution and communication environments from fog resources (up to the smart things and terminals) to edge- (e.g., network points of presence and small/medium-sized data centers), to cloud computing (e.g., big data centers) and across a transparent and pervasive fixed-radio connectivity. On top of the 5G infrastructures will reverberate a boom of network, cloud services and user applications, enabling a scenario of Everything -as-a-service, where everything will be an instrument to provide and consume ICT services and data. So, Future Networks and 5G will be like Complex Systems of Systems. It is a commonplace conclusion in sciences today that higher order phenomena cannot be directly derived from lower order systems: emerging properties and dominant characteristics in complex systems come from the interactions between its entities, rather than from the properties of a single entity in isolation. It is argued that Complexity management should be embraced for meeting the requirements of Reliability, Availability and Serviceability of Future Networks and 5G. 2

Why Software Is Eating the World Marc Andreessen coined his famous sentence Why Software Is Eating the World in The Wall Street Journal six years ago.

3 Why Software Is Eating the World Marc Andreessen coined his famous sentence Why Software Is Eating the World in The Wall Street Journal six years ago. Today, the idea that every company needs to become a software company is considered almost unavoidable to be efficient, effective and able to compete in such a dynamic market. Since 2007 concepts such as Programmable networks and Software networking were discussed in Research Software is eating the Telecoms 3

4 SOFTWARIZATION: a systemic transformation A number of techno-economic drivers are steering the evolution of current network and service platforms towards Future Networks and 5G Among these techno-economic drivers, there are: diffusion of ultra-broadband, technology advances in chipsets and IT hardware and tumbling costs, new emerging network paradigms (SDN, NFV), evolution of Cloud Computing towards Edge and Fog Computing, growing availability of Open Source software, more and more advances terminals, smart things, etc The combined effect of these drivers are creating the condition for a perfect storm transforming systemically Telecoms infrastructures and related biz. 4

5 Software Defined Networks SDN: separation of software (e.g., control plane) from hardware (e.g. data plane, packets forwarding) and execution of the control software on dedicated IT resource local or even in the Cloud/Edge (i.e., not necessarily in the node). Source: GSMA 5

6 Network Function Virtualization Virtualization of network functions (e.g. middle-boxes) and the optimised dynamic allocation and execution (e.g., general purpose hardware of Cloud Edge or even Fog Computing). Source: GSMA 6

7 SOFTWARIZATION: a systemic transformation 7

Softwarization will enable IoT ecosystems Softwarization is transforming for the first time the Telecommunication infrastructures in a continuum of virtual resources, functions and

8 Softwarization will enable IoT ecosystems Softwarization is transforming for the first time the Telecommunication infrastructures in a continuum of virtual resources, functions and services which are extended from the terminals up to the Clouds. Source: 8

Softwarization will enable Industrial Internet and Industry 4.0 ecosystems Cloud Computing What if robots and automation systems were not limited by onboard computation, memory, or software?

9 Softwarization will enable Industrial Internet and Industry 4.0 ecosystems Cloud Computing What if robots and automation systems were not limited by onboard computation, memory, or software? Rather than viewing automated machines as isolated systems with limited computation and memory, to view them connected to the Cloud to create a a global network system embedded into the reality. Potential impacts in the "Internet of Things", "Smarter Planet", "Industrial Internet", and "Industry 4.0." 9

Softwarization will exploit computational intelligence everywhere Softwarization will allow developing very flexible and programmable infrastructures for: sensing, collecting and storing (even

10 Softwarization will exploit computational intelligence everywhere Softwarization will allow developing very flexible and programmable infrastructures for: sensing, collecting and storing (even locally, in the Edge/Fog resource and even devices) massive data sets (through sensors, terminals, smart things, intelligent machines); moving sets of data or code (through high bandwidth and ultra-low low latency connections) where it is more convenient (execution of virtual functions and services ); elaborating (DL, ML, Industrial mathematics ) big data (Cloud and Edge/Fog Computing) to infer decisions for actuating/controlling local actions (pervasive machines). Source: definition of computational inteligence - Engelbrecht (2007) Adaptive mechanisms to enable or facilitate intelligent behaviours in complex and changing environments it s about exploiting computational intelligence everywhere! 10

11 Softwarization will enable several ecosystems 11

12 Softwarization will exploit computational intelligence everywhere LOGO PARTNER 12

13 Complexity: the property of any intelligent system Complexity is becoming systemic challenge for future networks: In the future we are not managing closed equipment but intertwined software processes (e.g., two orders of magnitude more and much more dynamic); Computational intelligence will be everywhere Future networks will assume the form of extended and distributed execution and communication environments, based on a continuum of virtual functions and resources: from fog resources (up to the smart things and terminals) to edge- (e.g., network points of presence and small/medium-sized data centers), to cloud computing (e.g., big data centers) and across a transparent and pervasive fixed-radio connectivity; a sheer number of apps/services (e.g., from network to cloud services up to Users applications) will on top of such infrastructures. 13

14 Robustness vs Complexity Softwarization creates the need of different ways to design networks and services 14

Bound of Complexity (static, brittle, predictable

15 How taming the complexity? Complexity will be a property of Future Networks and 5G How taming this Complexity? or better how extracting simplicity out of it Lower Bound of Complexity (static, brittle, predictable performance) Upper Bound of Complexity (flexible, unpredictable performance) constraints that deconstraint 15

16 A Network Operating System will create constraints that deconstraint 16

17 5G: much more than 4G + 1 Source: Source: NGMN 5G White Paper (enabling technologies) 17

18 5G: much more than 4G + 1 In fact, 5G is not just an increase of bandwidth, better performance and improved reliability: 5G will be become a sort of "nervous system" of Digital Society, capable of bringing computational intelligence everywhere to create new services 18

19 Conclusions Software is eating Telecommunications; future networks and 5G will be Pervasive Software Environment; this softwarization will bring a new wave of computational intelligence everywhere; complexity will be a property of future networks and 5G, as it is for any intelligent system; the Network Operating System will set those constraints capable of de-constraining, i.e. will allow extracting that simplicity (in terms of abstractions) required for Reliability, Availability and Serviceability of future networks and 5G. 19

20 Thanks! Linkedin Twitter Blog

A Global Operating System «from the Things to the Clouds»

GRUPPO TELECOM ITALIA EAI International Conference on Software Defined Wireless Networks and Cognitive Technologies for IoT Rome, 26th October 2015 A Global Operating System «from the Things to the Clouds»