A platform perspective for the computing continuum: Synergetic orchestration of compute and network resources for hyper-distributed applications

The rapid advancements in technologies across the Computing Continuum have reinforced the need for the interplay of various network and compute orchestration mechanisms within distributed infrastructure architectures to support the hyper-distributed application (HDA) deployments. A unified approach to managing heterogeneous components is crucial for reconciling conflicting objectives and creating a synergetic framework. To undertake these challenges, we present NEPHELE, a platform that realizes a hierarchical multi-layered orchestration architecture that incorporates infrastructure and application orchestration workflows across diverse resource management layers. The proposed platform integrates well-defined components spanning network and multi-cluster compute domains to enable intent-driven, dynamic orchestration. At its core, the Synergetic Meta Orchestrator (SMO) integrates diverse application requirements, generating deployment plans by interfacing with underlying orchestrators over distributed compute and network infrastructure. In the current work, we present the NEPHELE architecture, enumerate its interaction workflows, and evaluate key components of the overall architecture based on the instantiation and usage of the NEPHELE platform. The platform is evaluated in a multi-domain infrastructure setup to assess the operational overhead of the introduced orchestration functionality, considering also the assessment of different topology configurations on resource instantiation times and allocation dynamics, and network latency. Finally, we demonstrate the platform’s effectiveness in orchestrating distributed application graphs under varying placement intents, performance constraints, and workload stress conditions. The evaluation results outline the effectiveness of NEPHELE in orchestrating various infrastructure layers and application lifecycle scenarios through a unified interface.