Service Function Chain Deployment With VNF-Dependent Software Migration in Multi-Domain Networks

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Yuhan Zhang, Ran Wang, Jie Hao, Qiang Wu, Yidan Teng, Ping Wang, Dusit Niyato

Published: 2025, Last Modified: 28 Jan 2026IEEE Trans. Mob. Comput. 2025EveryoneRevisionsBibTeXCC BY-SA 4.0
Abstract: In the 6G era, user demand for low-latency, cost-effective extreme services such as extended reality (XR) and holographic communications has significantly increased. Multi-domain networks, known for their vast capacity and coverage, are essential in fulfilling the growing demand for high-performance services. Despite their potential, these networks face challenges with domain isolation, requiring a software defined network (SDN) controller for inter-domain communication. Network function virtualization (NFV) enhances flexibility of service delivery with customizable service function chain (SFC), yet prior research falls short in delivering low-latency, cost-efficient services in multi-domain NFV networks alongside an unreasonable assumption that software on physical nodes can support the execution of all virtualization network functions (VNFs). In this paper, we study the problem of SFC deployment with VNF-dependent software migration (SD-VDSM) in multi-domain networks. Particularly, we first formulate the problem by setting an objective to minimize the end-to-end communication delay and the associated costs of service provisioning, while simultaneously ensuring load balancing across multi-domain networks. However, complexity of the issue escalates to an intractable level due to the intertwined nature of SFC deployment strategies and VNF-dependent software migration tactics, which mutually influence each other intricately. To tackle this issue, we propose an innovative heuristic algorithm, designated as the Joint SFC Deployment with VNF-Dependent Software Migration Algorithm (JSD-VDSMA). Comprising three fundamental steps, this algorithm is crafted to adeptly resolve the complexities of service provisioning across multi-domain networks. A suite of rigorous experimental assessments is detailed, demonstrating the capability of our proposed JSD-VDSMA. Through these comparative analyses, we demonstrate its effectiveness not only to increase the service acceptance rate but also to diminish both the end-to-end communication delay and resource utilization costs in comparison to its counterparts.