PSMA: Layered Deployment Scheme for Secure VNF Multiplexing Based on Primary and Secondary Multiplexing Architecture

The adoption of SDN/NFV opens avenues for efficient network slicing deployment and cost control. However, the dynamic cost reduction brought by deployment location optimization is not suitable for all scenarios. To further reduce the cost, we recommend a sharing strategy in NFV. In this paper, we introduce a two-layer VNF multiplexing architecture, named PSMA, which guarantees both efficient VNF sharing operations and secure slicing during multiplexing. Leveraging the SDN/NFV features, the proposed scheme splits data processing and key management and establish secure connections using SDN’s programmable routing. The provided framework integrates comprehensive life-cycle management and key delivery mechanisms. The article substantiates its availability through extensive simulations of VNF reuse on a randomly generated network with Virtual Network Requests (VNR). The empirical results indicate a significant cost reduction of 5% to 10%, particularly pronounced in scenarios involving a substantial number of short-lived and transitional VNFs.