Load balancing in LTE core network with OpenStack clouds: Design and implementation
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Perustieteiden korkeakoulu |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2015
Department
Major/Subject
Tietoliikenneohjelmistot
Mcode
T3005
Degree programme
Tietotekniikan koulutusohjelma
Language
fi
Pages
59 + 4
Series
Abstract
Cloud computing, software defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) are gaining popularity among the whole IT industry. The scalability, seemingly infinite amount of resources and flexible payment options make these technologies attractive for wide variety of use cases. As a new trend the industry is exploring the possibility of combining private and public clouds as a single hybrid cloud. The network industry has been slow in adopting these new technologies, partly because the aging proprietary technologies are difficult to implement with current cloud technologies. However, new 4G networks are built using protocols commonly used in internet thus making it finally possible to implement the core network using virtualization and cloud technologies. This thesis explores the possibility of implementing LTE core network components as applications running on virtual machines provided by OpenStack cloud. Furthermore, we build a hybrid cloud consisting of two OpenStack instances and implement simple load balancer that automatically creates virtual machines to the most suitable cloud when requested by application. We show that OpenStack as a cloud platform is suitable for building hybrid clouds. With powerful hardware and fast network it can be used for running LTE core network components. Furthermore, we show that the LTE network components could be implemented using hybrid clouds and that the technology could benefit network operators. The possible benefits include lower cost for running the network, increased resiliency and even increased performance for end users if the system is built correctly. Our findings also show that more optimized implementations for network entities are needed for building large-scale LTE networks using hybrid cloud. Also the algorithm for placing virtual machines needs refinements.Description
Supervisor
Ylä-Jääski, AnttiThesis advisor
Luukkainen, SakariKeywords
OpenStack, NFV, load balancing, LTE, vEPC