Edge Computing

The document provides information flows for lifecycle management of applications running on a MEC host, and describes interfaces over the reference points to support application lifecycle management. It also describes application rules and requirements, application-related events, mobility handling and MEC service availability tracking. The document specifies the necessary data model, data format and operation format when applicable.

The document defines the management of the mobile edge system, mobile edge hosts and mobile edge platforms. This includes platform configuration, performance and fault management, application monitoring, remote service configuration and service control, information gathering regarding the platform features, available services, and available virtualised resources.

The document defines design principles for RESTful MEC service APIs, provides guidelines and templates for the documentation of these, and defines patterns of how MEC service APIs use RESTful principles.

The document defines a framework to be used by ETSI ISG MEC to coordinate and promote multivendor Proofs of Concept (PoC) projects and MEC Deployment Trial (MDT) projects illustrating key aspects of MEC technology. Proofs of Concept are an important tool to demonstrate the viability of a new technology during its early days and or pre-standardization phase. MDTs are seen as the next step of PoC to demonstrate the viability of MEC in a commercial trial/deployment and to provide feedback to the standardization work.

The document provides a framework and reference architecture for Multi-access Edge Computing that describes a MEC system that enables MEC applications to run efficiently and seamlessly in a multi-access network. The document also describes the functional elements and the reference points between them, and a number of MEC services that comprise the solution. It finally presents a number of key concepts related to the multi-access edge architecture.

The document specifies the requirements for Multi-access Edge Computing with the aim of promoting interoperability and deployments. It contains normative and informative parts. The document also contains an annex describing example use cases and their technical benefits, for the purpose of deriving requirements.

The document lists the functionalities and capabilities required by a MEC compliant implementation. In addition, the document specifies a testing framework defining a methodology for development of interoperability and/or conformance test strategies, test systems and the resulting test specifications for MEC standards. In additional, the testable requirements are listed and prioritized.

The document studies the applicability of MEC specifications to inter-MEC systems and MEC-Cloud systems coordination that supports e.g. application instance relocation, synchronization and similar functionalities. Another subject of this study is the enablement and/or enhancement of functionalities for application lifecycle management by third parties (e.g. application developers).

The document describes the key issues, solution proposals and recommendations for MEC integration into 3GPP 5G system. The following aspects are addressed: MEC System interactions with the 5G System, including the correspondence of the current MEC procedures to procedures available in 3GPP 5G system specification, options for the functional split between MEC and 5G Common API framework, realization of MEC as 5G Application Function(s). In addition the document addresses the scope and the preferred way of proceeding with the identified future technical work, as well as the identification of any missing 5G system functionality for MEC integration.

The document focuses on identifying the additional support that needs to be provided by MEC when MEC applications run on alternative virtualization technologies, such as containers. The document collects and analyses the use cases relating to the deployment of such alternative virtualization technologies, evaluates the gaps from the currently defined MEC functionalities, and identifies new recommendations. As ETSI NFV is also working on alternative virtualization technologies, the MEC work should be aligned with NFV where applicable. The document also recommends the necessary normative work to close any identified gaps.

The Technical Report studies and performs evaluations of potential architecture enhancements to support Edge Computing (EC) in the 5G Core network (5GC). Specifically, two objectives are included: a) to study the potential system enhancements for enhanced Edge Computing support, and b) to provide deployment guidelines for typical Edge Computing use cases, e.g. URLLC, V2X, AR/VR/XR, UAS, 5GSAT, CDN, etc.

The draft Recommendation describes the requirements, architecture, functional entities, reference points and information flows of local shunting for multi-access edge computing in IMT-2020 networks.