MISE: MIddleboxes SElection for Multi-domain Service Function Chains

In-network services, usually implemented through middle-boxes, play a key role in today's Internet. They enhance end-to-end connections with the ability to provide content optimization, performance enhancement, privacy protection, etc. Multiple in-network services are often combined together to form a so-called Service Function Chain (SFC). Most SFC steering techniques are effective only when there is full visibility and/or control of the underlying network infrastructure. However, when multiple independent parties are involved, the chain building process may be inefficient. We propose a Collaborative SFC Resolution method that provides optimized chain building, while requiring only minimum information sharing among independent in-network service providers. We implemented a prototype using the Domain Name System (DNS) in order to evaluate its impact on the middleboxes selection. Through an extensive evaluation on real topologies and simulated network graphs we prove that the collaborative middleboxes selection enables to find near-optimal solutions. More in detail, it shows up to 30% improvement, in terms of end-to-end network delay, when compared to solutions that do not share information and perform the middleboxes selection independently.