Abstract: A system and method for securely sharing metadata among virtualized network functions (VNFs) disposed within a cluster of host computers includes a distributed forwarding and metadata sharing (DFMS) framework that forwards received data packets and provides remote direct memory access (RDMA) enabled sharing of secured metadata among the VNFs from more than one host computer in the cluster of host computers, and a DFMS controller that resides in the cluster of host computers as a VNF and registers VNFs in the cluster to at least one group of VNFs in the cluster and assigns access rights to the metadata of VNFs within respective groups of VNFs in the cluster. In operation, each registered VNF in a group in the cluster uses RDMA requests to access the metadata for other registered VNFs in the group in the cluster to which the each registered VNF in the group has access rights.

Abstract: A network device performs operations comprising: receiving a first plurality of data packets, each data packet of the first plurality of data packets including a checksum value, and storing the checksum values of a subset of the first plurality of data packets along with a first timestamp; providing the first plurality of data packets to a network function (NF); receiving, from the NF, a second plurality of data packets generated by the NF in response to the first plurality of data packets, each data packet of the second plurality of data packets including a checksum value; storing a second timestamp when checksum values of a subset of the second plurality of data packets match the stored checksum values; and generating telemetry data based on the first timestamp and the second timestamp.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing a data packet in a communication network includes receiving, at a private Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) data center, the data packet. The private MEC data center hosts one or more virtual Evolved Packet Core (EPC) gateways, and each of the one or more virtual Evolved Packet Core (EPC) gateways corresponds to one or more respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) service providers. The private MEC data center identifies a traffic routing type for the data packet. The private MEC data center transmits the data packet based on the identified traffic routing type.

Abstract: A network device performs operations comprising: receiving a first plurality of data packets, each data packet of the first plurality of data packets including a checksum value, and storing the checksum values of a subset of the first plurality of data packets along with a first timestamp; providing the first plurality of data packets to a network function (NF); receiving, from the NF, a second plurality of data packets generated by the NF in response to the first plurality of data packets, each data packet of the second plurality of data packets including a checksum value; storing a second timestamp when checksum values of a subset of the second plurality of data packets match the stored checksum values; and generating telemetry data based on the first timestamp and the second timestamp.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing a data packet in a communication network includes receiving, at a private Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) data center, the data packet. The private MEC data center hosts one or more virtual Evolved Packet Core (EPC) gateways, and each of the one or more virtual Evolved Packet Core (EPC) gateways corresponds to one or more respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) service providers. The private MEC data center identifies a traffic routing type for the data packet. The private MEC data center transmits the data packet based on the identified traffic routing type.