Fragmentation-Aware VNF Placement: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

In this paper we address the challenge of efficiently deploying Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) in network infrastructures. This is particularly crucial when facing resource fragmentation, where available resources are not fully utilized due to the fluctuating allocation and deallocation of virtual network requests. Traditional optimization techniques often fall short in managing the dynamic complexities of VNF placement. To overcome this, we introduce a novel online VNF placement strategy using Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) combined with a Reward Constrained Policy Optimization (RCPO). This method leverages the flexibility of DRL and the constraint integration capacity of RCPO, ensuring compliance with performance and resource limitations while minimizing resource fragmentation. The results demonstrate that our DRL-based method surpasses existing methods, resulting in more effective resource management and less resource fragmentation.