A KPI-Enabled NFV MANO Architecture for Network Slicing with QoS

Communication systems are used not only by voice or file exchange applications, but also by other types of applications due to the coexistence of multiple and different verticals. Each vertical has its own requirements in terms of key performance indicators (KPIs) for their applications. Mapping the verticals KPIs into network quality of service (QoS) parameters and enforcing it at the network level is a complex procedure. Network slicing allows the deployment of multiple virtual networks (one per vertical) to work in parallel with their specific QoS based on the KPIs. This article presents and experimentally validates a KPI-enabled network function virtualization (NFV) management and orchestration (MANO) architecture able to manage network slices, to monitor the vertical KPI requirements and react in case they are not met. We address this objective from a holistic perspective, defining the network QoS parameters that enable meeting vertical KPIs along all levels of the NFV MANO architecture: the NSs using the 5G QoS Identifier parameter, the NFV network services using service level agreements, and the networking and computing services with QoS parameters. Finally, the described architecture is validated through an experimental use case based on a vertical realtime communications application.