Dynamic VNF Deployment and Resource Allocation in Mobile Edge Computing

Xiaolong Zhai, Zhenli He, Yuanfei Xiao, Junjie Wu, Xuejie Yu

Abstract: The explosive growth of terminal devices at the network edge, coupled with advancements in communication technology, poses significant challenges to traditional cloud computing models. Despite Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) mitigating some issues by enabling real-time data processing closer to the source, it faces challenges with linear growth in computational resources insufficient to meet the exponential growth in service demand. Existing research utilizing Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), and Service Function Chain (SFC) technologies has made progress but still faces critical issues, such as the inability to respond in real-time to dynamic demands and inefficiencies in resource management strategies. This paper addresses these challenges by optimizing Virtual Network Function (VNF) deployment strategies in MEC environments. We propose PPO-ERA, a novel algorithm leveraging deep reinforcement learning and the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) method. This approach provides real-time, adaptive, and dynamic deployment policies for VNFs, significantly improving both the average response delay of tasks and resource utilization. Key contributions include rigorous SFC-based application modeling, dynamic VNF deployment algorithms, elastic resource allocation, uniform state representation, and extensive performance validation. These advancements enhance the adaptability, efficiency, and performance of VNF deployment strategies, addressing critical challenges in dynamic MEC environments.