Network Slicing for TSN-Based Transport Networks
Sushmit Bhattacharjee, Kostas Katsalis, Osama Arouk, Robert Schmidt, Tongtong Wang, Xueli An, Thomas Bauschert, Navid Nikaein
Abstract
In this work, we present and analyze methods and mechanisms for interconnecting a network slice control and management system of the mobile network, with an IEEE Time-Sensitive Network (TSN) control plane. IEEE TSN is gaining momentum as a key technology that is able to provide network service guarantees for Ethernet-based communications. Although Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) have been thoroughly investigated in 5G, incorporating TSN technologies in the Transport Network is expected to unleash the potential of end-to-end deterministic communications, especially in industrial environments and time-critical applications like factory automation. <p xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">We elaborate on the concepts of a TSN-aware Xhaul network, present a novel architecture, and describe a set of amendments required in order to enable network slicing. With the devised approach, a slice-aware TSN-enabled transport network can be controlled and managed in an end-to-end orchestrated way. Implementation experience and evaluation results are reported using TSN-enabled prototype devices, OpenAirInterface (OAI), and JOX slice orchestrator.