Energy efficient IoT virtualization framework with passive optical access networks

In this paper we design a framework for an energy efficient cloud computing platform for Internet of things (IoT) accompanied by a passive optical access network (PON). The design is evaluated using a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model. IoT network consists of four layers. The first layer represents IoT objects and the three other layers host relays, the coordinator and the gateway, respectively. PON consists of two layers hosting the Optical Network Units (ONUs) and the Optical Line Terminal (OLT), respectively. Equipment at all layers, except the object layer, can aggregate and process the traffic generated by IoT objects. The processing is performed using distributed mini clouds that host different types of Virtual Machines (VMs). These mini clouds can be located at the three upper layers of the IoT network and the PON two layers. We aim to reduce the total power consumption resulting from the traffic delivery and data processing at the different layers. The energy efficiency can be achieved by optimizing the placement and number of the mini clouds and VMs and utilizing energy efficient routes. Our results indicate that up to 21% of total power can be saved utilizing energy efficient PONs and serving heterogeneous VMs.