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A Method of Resource Distruburion Analysis of
NFV Technological Solution Based on Formal
Grammar and Languages
Olena Tkachova
Telecommunication system department
Kharkov National University of Radio Electronics
Kharkov, Ukraine
olena.tkachova@nure.ua
Abstract—The paper is devoted to solving the problem of
developing new and improving existing methods of NFV
technological solutions analysis on the earlier stages of
developing process. A method of analysis functional and non
functional requirements of NFV infrastructure realization is
proposed. The proposed method bases on mathematical
modelling approach. E-network is use as tool for NFV
behavioural modelling. The regular formal grammar is use
for analysis such properties as reachability, boundedness,
liveness, and persistence of E-network of NFV realization
model. The algorithm of P-type language generation is
proposed in the paper.
Keywords— NFV infrastructure; E-nerwork; formal
grammar; behavior analysis; orchesrtation
I. INTRODUCTION
Efficiency of service provision through NFV
infrastructure (NFVI) is greatly depend on administrative
and management decisions of MANO. MANO includes a
several component that seamlessly communicate with each
other. Final management decision of MANO depends on
QoS requirements imposed to the NFVI for service
providing. These requirements are laid down in the SLA
and can be divided into two classes [1, 2]:
 Functional. The functional requirements determine
behavior of both virtual network infrastructure and
separate computation nodes according that
guarantees implementation of the required set of
service.
 Non functional. The non functional requirements
determine the private features of virtual
infrastructure components. As a rule, the private
features are quantity characteristics: counters of
actions and time counter, quantity characteristics of
thresholds that lead to the changes in operation
processes.
As practical implementation shows, the mistakes made
during process of realization NFVI solution, such as
assembling errors or logical errors in programming code,
can lead to critical situation in the virtualized network
operation: failure of services, denial of service, data theft
take place in these situations. An analysis of the conformity
PIC S&T`2016 October 4-6, 2016
978-1-5090-2978-5/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE
Mohammed Jamal Salim
Telecommunication system department
Odessa National Academy of Telecommunications
named after O.S. Popov
Odessa, Ukraine
mohamed.jamal8686@gmail.com
of realization NFVI solution to specification requirements,
as method that help to eliminate there type of errors is
proposed to implement as a sub stage of realization
process. A lot of methods of analysis of communication
network realization solution are existing today, but there
methods have disadvantages as possibility to analyze only
implemented network solution [4], restriction amount of
founded errors [5], material and time costs [6]. Finding the
solution that allows to eliminate these disadvantages during
development process of NFV technology is an actual
problem.
II. MATHEMATICAL TOOLS FOR NFVI TECHNICAL
SOLUTION MODELING
A. E-network tool for NFV behavioral modelling
Mathematical modeling is one of the approach that give
ability to perform behavioral analysis, especially the
analysis of availability of functional and non-functional
requirements [4]. The apparatus of E-network is proposed
to use as a modelling tool. Choice of E-network is caused
by the following advantages: ability of parallel process
modeling both synchronous and asynchronous nature, the
management places existing, ability to use different level of
models detalisation, universal approach. Analysis and
estimation of algorithmic features of E-network as
reachability, boundedness, liveness, and persistence are
used as a basic of behavior analysis that evaluates
compliance functional and non-functional requirement of
specification, of NFVI solutions.
According to the E-network behavior rules the
transitions from one vertices-state to another vertices-state
is carried out by labels translation. The theory of formal
grammars is one of the methods of translation rules
formalization. The regular formal grammars give ability to
describe the chronological sequence of vertices-state
activity due to symbolic formalization.
B. Use of regulal formall gramars as a tool of behavior
analysis of E-network
The regular formal grammar [7, 8] that describes
possible variant of E-network model behavior is defined as
follows:
G  (Vt , N,Tr, M) , (1)
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where the set of terminal symbols Vt is a set of NFV The pseudo code of proposed algorithm is shown
infrastructure states, which are modeled by of analyzed below:
models {A, B,C...Z}  Vt , A, B, C...Z is a symbols that set str[ ] = {S1,S2,…Sn}
describe the vertices-state; N is non-empty finite set of if length.str[Si]=0 and Si  Sn, Sn {N} do
non-terminal symbols, Vt  N  0 . The set of non-
terminal symbols N consist from the next elements of
Si=str_init[] length.str_init[]++
models: {Tr,r(x), ","}  N , where management place r(x) return str_init[]
includes the set of attribute, that affect to the transition else length.str[Si]≠0 and
rules, Tr is the symbol that identify the transition-state Sj  ,Sn |   Sn, Sn {N} do
( T, J, F, MX, MY ), "," is the splitting symbol, M is the Si=str_fin[] length.str_fin[]++
initial symbols of language chain, the vertices-state
corresponded to the initial makeup of E-network models.
return str_fin[]
end
To minimize the cost of computing resources for
analysis of algorithmic properties of E-networks is for each state Si =init and Sj  length.str[] do
proposed to use the P-type formal language [7, 8]. if Si  Sj  Sj  1;Sj  1  ,Sn |   Sn, Sn {Vt }
Choosing the P-type formal language is
match Sj  1 as current vertices-state and find
The choice of P-type language caused by sufficient set active transition-state Ta
of state space model and study the possibility of the
formation of language chains (include the deadlock if Ta {MY} and L(P)[]>1 do
vertices-state). procedure COMPELER
P-type language is characterized by the following L  P  : Si  (Sj,Sj  1  ,Sn) || (Sk,Sk  1  ,Sm) | Sn,Sm {Sf }
Sk,Sk  1{Vt }
formalism: L(C)  {()   |  T and always exist
*
*

(,) } and can be defined as follows [9]: if Ta {F} do

procedure COMPELER
L(Р)  (s 0  |   Vt , (s, )  (N  Vt )* ) , (2) L  P  : Si  (Sj,Sj  1  ,Sn)  (Sk,Sk  1  ,Sm) | Sn,Sm  {Sf }
Algorithm of P-type language generation is a top-down Sk,Sk  1{Vt }
construction algorithm that founded on mixing of language else Ta {MX, J,T}
chains productions principles and rules of label translation
in E-network [4, 6, 9]. The proposed algorithm includes procedure COMPLETER grammar chain
following steps: L(P)[], L  P  : Si  Sj,Sj  1  ,Sn | Sn {Vt }
1. Determination of the set of alphabet symbols Length.L(P)[]++
{ Vt } that belong to analyzed E-network model. end
2. Determination the set of initial symbols if Sj  Sj  1;Sj  1  Sn | Sn  e , Sj  1 =final
[ Si ], Si {Vt } that correspond to the initial makeup of vertices-state
analyzed E-network model. procedure COMPLETER grammar chain
3. Determination the set of final symbols L(P)[], L  P  : Si  Sj,Sj  1| Sn {Vt }
[ S f ], S f  {Vt } that correspond to the variants of final return L(P)[]
makeups of analyzed E-network model. else all grammar chain is found
4. To set the potentially active transition-states for return set of L(P)[]
all Si : N, N  (Vnt ) . The type of each active transition is end
determined as T, J, F, MX, MY . end
5. The concatenation of “pairs of symbols” are C. Practical implementation of proposed algorithm
determined as SiSi 1 . The concatenation possible only if As example proposed to analyze the process of
Si  Si 1 , Ni is active. orchestration of the virtualized resources of the network
infrastructure [1]. The E-network model corresponded to
6. Implemented a series connection of pairs of the orchestration process is depicted on Figure 1.
characters. The concatenation possible only if
si ,si 1  s j ,s j1 | s js j1  {Vt } . The E-network is determines the next sequence of
actions:
7. Completion of language chain P(L) that belong  end user initialized request of service provision -
to analyzed E-network model. Do this operator recursively vertices-state C:req;
while [ Sf ] not empty.
 request is modified by Serive controller - vertices-
state SC:mod req);

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 orchestrator created request to resource allocation -
vertices-state SO: req allocate;
 two management element at the same time monitor
possible resources vertices-state S&FR:N
monitoring and VN monitoring;
 the Service & Functions Registry determine static
configuration, NRC: Static then S&FR: N responce
and possible dynamic configuration vertices-state
NRC: dynamic.
 VNF manager performs monitoring virtualized
network architecture - VNFM: VN monitoring,
after the virtual networkis configure VNF
generates response to orchestrator - VNFM: resp;
 on basic of received information orchestrator
makes a final management decision-SO: des and
create route response (SO: resp),
 NRC find route vertices-state NRC path selection,
 orchestrator creates final response with route
information SO: resp path.
Fig. 1. Orchestration process for adaptive service delivery (static and
dynamic configuration)
Next steps represent the formalization and further
analysis of process of orchestration of the virtualized
resources of the network infrastructure according to the
proposed P-type language generation algorithms:
1. The initial state of analyzed E-network model is
Мo(1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0).
2. The final state of analyzed E-network model is
Мf(0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1).
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3. Alphabet of analyzes E-network model include
next set of symbols: [S]={C:req, SC:mod req, SO:req
allocate, S&FR:N monitoring, NRC:Static, NRC: dynamic,
S&FR:N response, VNFM:VN monitoring , VNFM: resp,
SO:des, SO: resp, NRC path selection, SO: resp path}
4. P-type language that characterized the behavior of
analized E-network includes following output chains:
L1 (P)  (C:req, SC:mod req, SO:req allocate, S&FR:N
monitoring, (NRC:Static, S&FR:N
response)  (VNFM:VN monitoring, VNFM: resp),
SO:des, SO: resp, NRC path selection, SO: resp path.
L2 (P)  (C:req, SC:mod req, SO:req allocate, S&FR:N
monitoring, (NRC:Static, S&FR:N
response)  (VNFM:VN monitoring, VNFM: resp),
SO:des, SO: resp, NRC path selection, SO: resp path.
The analysis of obtained chronological chain of P-type
language shows that two variant of orchestration process
are existing. The chain L1 (P) corresponds virtual network
configuration based on static route (reserved IP-addresses
for VMs, strict instance restrictions), L2 (P) allows the
dynamical changes in virtual network configuration. Both
chains L1 (P) and L2 (P) include the complex condition for
SO:des state activation.
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October 4-6, 2016 Kharkiv, Ukraine