iContinuum: an Emulation Toolkit for Intent-Based Computing Across the Edge-to-Cloud Continuum

EasyChair Preprint no. 12901, version 2

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has led to a surge in smart devices, generating vast data volumes. Cloud computing offers scalability but does not suffice for many real-time and privacy-sensitive IoT applications, prompting the rise of edge computing. However, many IoT applications require a blend of both edge and cloud resources, creating the need for seamless integration, known as the "compute continuum". Testing applications within this continuum is vital but can be very complex. Simulation and emulation are preferred methods, with emulation providing more accurate representations of real-world environments. In this paper, we introduce iContinuum, a novel emulation toolkit facilitating an intent-based platform for edge-to-cloud testing and experimentation. Leveraging Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and containerization, iContinuum enables experimentation and performance evaluation while aligning application requirements with actual performance. We present our detailed architecture, implementation, and evaluation of iContinuum, showcasing how our proposed toolkit bridges the gap between simulation and real-world deployment within the compute continuum environments. We also present a use case demonstrating the effectiveness of Intent-Based Scheduling. We further validate our emulation toolkit by comparing its performance against a real-world setup.

Keyphrases: Cloud Computing, compute continuum, Container orchestration, Edge Computing, IBN, IoT, SDN

@Booklet{EasyChair:12901,
  author = {Negin Akbari and Adel N.Toosi and John Grundy and Hourieh Khalajzadeh and Mohammad Sadegh Aslanpour and Shashikant Ilager},
  title = {iContinuum: an Emulation Toolkit for Intent-Based Computing Across the Edge-to-Cloud Continuum},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint no. 12901},

  year = {EasyChair, 2024}}