Orchestrating an SFC-enabled SSL/TLS traffic processing architecture using MANO

The heterogeneity of 5G requirements commands more complex network architectures, imposing the need for network orchestration. ETSI NFV MANO is the standard which defines a common framework for vendors and operators to integrate their orchestration efforts. In this paper, we evaluated how an ETSI NFV MANO compliant orchestrator (OSM) fares while orchestrating an SFC-enabled SSL/TLS encrypted traffic processing architecture, which supports both edge and cloud deployments. A quantitative evaluation was carried-out, which assessed the responsiveness and overheads of OSM, as well as the actual functionality of our SSL/TLS processing architecture (with edge computing components). A qualitative evaluation was also carried-out, providing insight into the maturity of the current OSM release, what works well, what requires workarounds, and the actual limitations. A demonstration of the architecture evaluated in this work was accepted as a contribution to the ETSI OSM PoC Framework.