Resource Monitoring in a Network Embedded Cloud: An Extension to OSPF-TE

A "network embedded cloud", also known as a "carrier cloud", is a distributed cloud architecture where the computing resources are embedded in, and distributed across the carrier\´s network. This idea is based on a transformation of carrier-grade networks toward a platform for cloud services and the emergence of cloud computing in a telecommunication environment. In this model the network\´s resources are simply another set of cloud resources. This changes the resource management problem as compared to resource management inside a data center. In order to meet applications\´ requirements regarding available bandwidth and computing resources, one needs to consider link conditions and traffic engineering when allocating resources in a network embedded cloud. This paper presents a resource monitoring solution for a network embedded cloud by proposing an extension to the Open Shortest Path First-Traffic Engineering (OSPF-TE) protocols. Modeling, emulation, and analysis show the proposed solution can provide the required data to a cloud management system by sending information about virtual resources in the form of a new opaque link-state advertisement, named cloud LSA. Each embedded data center injects less than 40 bytes per second of additional traffic into the network when sending cloud LSAs at most every 5 seconds.