An analysis of 5G orchestration : Defining the role of software orchestrators in 5G networks, and building a method to compare implementations of 5G orchestrators

• Main Author: Lex-Hammarskjöld, Justin
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS) 2021
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; Software orchestration; Network function virtualization; Edge computing; Software containers; Operating system-level virtualization; 5G mobil kommunikation; Mjukvara orkestrering; Virtualisering av nätverksfunktioner; Mjukvara containrar; Operativsystem-nivå virtualisering; Computer and Information Sciences; Data- och informationsvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-304037

Software orchestrators like Kubernetes are growing in popularity with computer engineers for deploying and running complex software systems. Interestingly, there are now new technical standards being proposed for the telecom industry to begin utilizing software orchestration for the software that runs inside cellular networks. The telecom industry is currently transitioning from 4G to 5G technology. One of the central pieces of this development work is implementing a software orchestrator for 5G networks. This raises some questions about how and why the telecom industry will use software orchestration in their cellular networks. Software orchestration is a complex technology and it is challenging to develop an implementation of a software orchestrator. Some important questions that this thesis addresses are: What do network operators need from this technology? Furthermore, telecom vendors, like Ericsson and Huawei, have developed their own versions of a 5G software orchestrator, which orchestrator should the network operators choose? Furthermore, we investigate what 5G is, why the telecom industry is developing software orchestrators for the 5G roll-out, and importantly, we determine the design requirements that the telecom industry has for these "5G orchestration systems". We interpret and break down technical whitepapers from the industry, and we build a picture of the IT stack of upcoming 5G networks. In our research, we find that software orchestration is being used to deploy and maintain complex software stacks such as software-defined networking (SDN) system that is central to 5G networks. We uncover some of the specializations needed in a software orchestrator for the telecom industry, such as modularity, high-availability, and specialized system integration. With this information, we make feature and design recommendations for 5G orchestrators, and we compile a list of criteria that network operators can use to assess and compare different 5G orchestrators.  === Orkestreringsprogramvaror som Kubernetes växer i popularitet med IT ingenjörer för att installera och köra komplexa mjukvarasystem. På grund av pågående transitionen från 4G till 5G, används orkestreringsprogramvaror nu också i mobilnäten. I den här uppsatsen undersöks vad är 5G, varför telekombranschen använder orkestreringsprogramvaror för nya 5G nätverk, och vad krav har telekombranschen på denna "5G orkestreringsprogramvaror". Denna undersökning utförs genom en litteraturstudie. Genom den här undersökningen, det visar sig att orkestreringsprogramvaror används för att installera och köra komplexa mjukvarasystem som är centralt till 5G nätverk. Specialiseringskrav för orkestreringsprogramvaror i telekombranschen upptäcks, som modularitet, hög tillgänglighet, och specialiserad API-hookar. Rekommendationer görs för 5G orkestreringsprogramvarors funktioner, och en lista sammanställas av kriterier som telekomoperatör kan använda för att bedöma och jämföra 5G orkestreringsprogramvaror.