Enhancing Resource Sharing and Access Control for VNF Instantiation with Blockchain

Abstract

In the realm of Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) are crucial software entities that require execution on virtualized hardware infrastructure. Deploying a Service Function Chain (SFC) requires multiple steps for instantiating VNFs to analyze, request, deploy, and monitor resources. It is well recognized that the sharing of infrastructure resources among different VNFs will enhance resource utilization. However, conventional mechanisms for VNF sharing often neglect the interests of both VNF instances and infrastructure providers. In this context, this paper presents a blockchain-based framework that focuses on resource sharing and access control, with a particular emphasis on ensuring profitability during VNF instantiation. Additionally, a resource sharing game model and a novel greedy matching algorithm are introduced to optimize the benefits for both VNF instances and infrastructure resource providers. Furthermore, a blockchain-based access control mechanism is designed to securely store keys and provide fine-grained access control. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed resource sharing game model and greedy matching algorithm promote healthy competition among resource owners and facilitate effective bargaining between resource owners and infrastructure providers. In comparison to the standard Stackelberg game solution, our proposed method achieves up to an 8.1 times performance improvement while sacrificing fewer optimal social utility values. Furthermore, compared to other CP-ABE methods, the proposed approach enhances security within a blockchain-based framework while maintaining an excellent encryption efficiency and a moderate decryption efficiency.