Performance Modeling of Softwarized Network Functions Using Discrete-Time
Analysis
28th International Teletraffic Congress (ITC 28), Würzburg, Germany, (сентября 2016)Аннотация
The softwarization of networks promises cost savings and better scalability
of network functions by moving functionality from specialized devices into
commercial-off-the-shelf hardware. Generalized computing hardware offers
many degrees for adjustment and tuning, which can affect performance and
resource utilization. One of these adjustments are the interrupt mitigation
techniques implemented by modern network interface cards and operating
systems. By this, an administrator can optimize either lower latencies or
lower CPU overhead for processing of network traffic. In this work, an
analytical model allowing the computation of relevant performance metrics
like the packet processing time and the packet loss for generic virtualized
network functions running on commodity hardware is introduced. The
applicability of the model is shown by comparing its outcome with
measurements conducted in a local testbed. Based on this model, impact
factors like the average packet interarrival time, the interarrival time
distribution, and the duration of the interrupt aggregation interval are
studied.
