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Monitoring 6G UPFs: A Software-based Network Tomography Framework#
Authors
Florian Raskob, Wilton Arthur Poth, Tobias Meuser, Björn Scheuermann
Identifier
paper-upfperfmon
Type
Paper
Abstract
The architecture of 6G networks comprises many software-based Network Functions (NFs) that can run on and migrate between different devices. To make future 6G networks resilient, a flexible framework is needed to detect failures in individual NFs. In this work, we present a software-based Network Tomography (NT) monitoring framework for 6G NFs, enabling flexible real-time monitoring. As a case study, we measured the performance of the User Plane Function (UPF), which is responsible for forwarding user traffic in the core network. To determine packet loss and latency, the framework matches ingress and egress packets of UPFs while it monitors packet and data rates by analyzing only the egress packets. In our evaluation, we demonstrated the framework's accuracy of a Mean Percentage Error (MPE) of 0.2% for packet rates, 0.13% for packet loss, and 0.05% for data rates. Latencies were measured with 1.86 µs precision. Our findings demonstrate that software-based monitoring can achieve high-precision performance measurements, which is fundamental for enabling resilience in future 6G networks.
Keywords
6G, mobile networks, resilience, monitoring, network tomography
Proactive Monitoring of UPF Performance in 5G Core Networks#
Author
Wilton Arthur Poth
Identifier
uni-istbt
Type
University Bachelor Thesis
Abstract
5G is the latest mobile networking standard, with many enhancements over previous generations, including stricter performance requirements and wider applicability. A crucial component of a 5G network is the User Plane Function (UPF), which handles all user traffic. To ensure a UPF meets its performance expectations and to proactively provision resources according to load, its performance needs to be monitored while running in a live network. This work introduces a new lightweight network component, running in parallel to the UPF, which collects various performance metrics of the UPF to be monitored using an out-of-band software approach, differentiating it from previous related work. An implementation is developed and evaluated in an appropriate test bed, including a custom UPF with the ability to simulate different scenarios. Results show fairly good measurement accuracy, especially considering that the implementation is software-based, with a timing accuracy of up to one microsecond. The implementation provides a proof-of-concept, with potential for increasing efficiency and solving some more of the practical complications of the chosen approach mentioned in this work.
University Assignment (Solo Seminar), Review Paper
Abstract
Many devices nowadays come equipped with multiple network interfaces, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular. Especially mobile phones usually have a Wi-Fi and a cellular connection, and are often connected using both interfaces simultaneously. To make use of both connections at the same time, protocols such as Multipath TCP have been developed, which split a single logical connection over multiple network paths, to increase throughput and robustness. Currently, there are efforts to introduce a similar feature to the newer and more advanced transport protocol QUIC. This paper provides an overview over the design and challenges of Multipath QUIC and multipath protocols in general, and current research efforts to improve the protocol’s design and performance.
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