Session Date/Time: 25 Jun 2024 10:00

NMRG

Summary

The NMRG June 2024 online meeting covered two primary technical agenda items: the progress on the merged draft for Intent-Based Networking (IBN) use cases and a discussion on the NMRG Green Networking Research Agenda. For IBN, co-authors presented an updated merged draft and received feedback on refining its structure, emphasizing "learnings" from use cases, addressing different maturity levels, and clearly defining the scope within NMRG's research mandate. For green networking, a presentation on infrastructure sharing for sustainability prompted discussion on management and orchestration challenges, followed by the chairs' proposal for an initial research agenda and a plan to solicit community feedback via a questionnaire.

Key Discussion Points

Intent-Based Networking (IBN) Use Cases Merged Draft

Presentation by Paul and Kean: An updated merged draft titled "Intent-Based Networking Use Cases" was presented, combining content from four existing drafts.
- The draft is structured into two main parts: an analysis of IBN systems and specific IBN use cases.
- The analysis section covers the IBN system lifecycle: data collection, system construction, integration/deployment, and evaluation/optimization.
- Proposed use cases include routing/path selection, Service Level Agreement (SLA) guarantee, cloud-based security service management, IoT device management in 5G networks, and Software-Defined Bandwidth (SDB) management.
- The authors are working to finalize the draft within two weeks for submission and plan to present it at IETF 120 in Vancouver.
Discussion and Feedback:
- Alignment with RFC 9315: Jérôme asked if the proposed IBN system analysis aligned with the lifecycle discussed in RFC 9315 (IBN Concept and Definitions). Paul confirmed that RFC 9315 would be referenced and the architectural figure potentially integrated.
- Separation of Architecture and Use Cases: Louis suggested separating the architectural part from the use cases, arguing that more exercise of use cases is needed to inform architectural requirements. He also noted references to non-existent use cases while existing ones were not included, offering to collaborate on integrating these.
- Emphasizing "Learnings": Laurent stressed the importance of including "learnings" from developing or attempting to solve use cases with IBN approaches. This includes methodologies, techniques, challenges, and contributions to the state-of-the-art. He suggested this could be a dedicated section or subsection per use case.
- Managing Maturity Levels: Laurent and Jérôme discussed how to manage use cases with varying maturity levels within a single document, suggesting options like phased publication or a clear milestone. Jérôme proposed an initial maturity assessment for the different use cases to guide this decision. Paul indicated that some use cases, particularly those that have led to standardization in other SDOs, are more mature than others.
- Scope and Research Focus: Laurent clarified that the document's scope should primarily focus on contributions from NMRG participants and available IETF drafts, rather than attempting a broad state-of-the-art review of external SDOs (like TM Forum, CAMARA, GSMA) or academia. While references to external work are welcome, integrating external use cases would require direct contribution from their owners. He emphasized that NMRG, as a research group, should position its work towards the research state-of-the-art, distinct from protocol design or detailed specification work, which falls under IETF working groups. Any recommendations for standardization arising from the research should be clearly articulated.
- Categorizing Outcomes: Jérôme suggested categorizing the outcomes or "learnings" from use cases (e.g., recommendations for standardization, areas needing more investigation, specific technology advancements).

Green Networking Research Agenda / Infrastructure Sharing

Presentation on Infrastructure Sharing by Ali:
- Ali presented on infrastructure sharing for networking sustainability, posing it as a special case of resource sharing.
- Key Questions:
  - Does infrastructure sharing reduce resilience (e.g., managing faults, peak load, disasters)?
  - Can network capacity and performance be managed dynamically in shared environments?
  - What is the role of an orchestration layer in making infrastructure sharing a reality (considering network and upper layers like QoS and application delivery)?
- Upside: Infrastructure sharing enables "doing more with less," fosters collaboration, allows differentiation in upper layers, and can create new business models, addressing economic returns in unserved areas.
- Background: Current network capacity is often dimensioned for peak loads, leading to idle capacity and low resource efficiency. Network elements have high idle power consumption. Sharing can improve resource utilization and energy proportionality.
- Examples: Mobile Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing (passive and active), dynamic spectrum allocation, and potential for high-end use cases like autonomous driving.
Discussion on Infrastructure Sharing:
- Responsibility and Maintenance: Paul raised concerns about responsibility and maintenance in shared infrastructure. Ali acknowledged this, pointing to existing solutions like neutral host deployments and SLAs in the cloudification of telecom networks.
- Connection to Slicing and Policy: Marco noted connections to slicing and resource overbooking concepts within single operators, suggesting similar principles could extend to inter-operator sharing. He also highlighted non-technological factors like political will.
- Coordination with Other Groups: Ali noted that many topics are relevant to IETF's Green-Buff and E-Impact mailing lists, emphasizing the role of network management and orchestration in coordinating different layers and functions for sustainability.
Chairs' Update on NMRG Green Networking Research Agenda:
- Jérôme introduced an initial draft research agenda for green networking, built from previous discussions.
- Proposed Research Areas:
  - Monitoring and Measurement: Research on approximating or calculating network energy consumption and efficiency, including contributions of specific functions or flows, given the lack of direct observation.
  - Trade-offs: Investigating trade-offs between energy efficiency and other network functionalities (e.g., performance degradation).
  - End-user Engagement: Research into incentives and mechanisms for end-users to contribute to network energy efficiency.
  - Broader Sustainability: Expanding beyond "green networking" or energy efficiency to encompass broader sustainability aspects, potentially aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Community Feedback: The chairs plan to circulate a questionnaire on the mailing list to gather feedback on proposed topics, applicable network levels (edge, core), and the overall scope for an NMRG sustainability topic.
- Laurent endorsed this approach, suggesting taking the draft agenda and questionnaire to the mailing list for feedback, aiming for a stable research agenda by the time of the IETF meeting in July, potentially coordinating with the Green-Buff and E-Impact programs.

Decisions and Action Items

IBN Use Cases Merged Draft:
- Paul, Kean, and co-authors to incorporate feedback from the discussion, specifically regarding:
  - Aligning the IBN system analysis section with the lifecycle concept in RFC 9315.
  - Adding a section or subsections dedicated to "learnings" from the use cases, focusing on research contributions, challenges, and methodologies.
  - Clarifying the scope to primarily focus on NMRG contributions, while referencing external work as appropriate.
  - Considering a maturity assessment of the included use cases.
- The updated draft is targeted for submission within two weeks (by the cutoff date).
- Co-authors plan to present the draft at IETF 120.
Green Networking Research Agenda:
- Chairs (Jérôme and Laurent) to finalize the questionnaire and distribute it to the NMRG mailing list to gather feedback on the proposed green networking research agenda.
- Chairs to share the draft research agenda on the mailing list.

Next Steps

IBN Use Cases: Authors to continue refining the merged draft based on feedback, submit it, and prepare for presentation at IETF 120.
Green Networking: The NMRG community is encouraged to respond to the upcoming questionnaire and provide input on the proposed research agenda topics and scope for sustainability in networking. Coordination with Green-Buff and E-Impact will continue.