Joint optimization of optical path provisioning and VNF placement in vCDN

We consider a joint optimization problem of optical network resources and virtual network function (VNF) placement for efficient content distribution. Current content distribution networks (CDNs) are tightly coupled with network function virtualization (NFV) technologies. A virtual CDN (vCDN) has been intensively investigated to efficiently cope with unpredictable traffic demand. In vCDN, CDN functions are virtually provided as VNF, and we can provide sufficient flexibility regarding the usage of compute resources under traffic demand changes. For the cost-effective CDN services, we must reduce the redundant usage of network resources while improving the efficiency of compute resources. However, a conventional optimal VNF placement technique in vCDN was focused on the efficiency of compute resources, and this can lead to an increase in network cost. To address this issue, we formulate the optimization problem as mixed integer linear programming and then propose a heuristic algorithm called a light-weight VNF placement algorithm in vCDN (LP-vCDN) for reducing network cost while effectively utilizing compute resources. We conducted intensive numerical experiments and demonstrated that LP-vCDN always found solutions of sufficient quality with practical computational overhead.