SRv6 and Zero-Trust Policy Enabled Graph Convolutional Neural Networks for Slicing Network Optimization

With the rapid advancement of technologies such as B5G/6G and edge computing, network scenarios are becoming increasingly complex and diverse, leading to the emergence of slicing networks. Virtualizing applications into distinct categories and establishing corresponding network slices ensures performance to a certain extent. However, the challenges posed by the complex slicing environment demand more fine-grained routing control and higher costs to locate requested content or services, areas where current state-of-the-art methods fall short. To address these challenges, this work introduces a system framework that integrates the principles of Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6). An SRv6 optimization layer is created between the control and infrastructure layers to manage slices effectively and enhance routing control. Additionally, we propose a novel policy routing method based on zero-trust and Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) technology. This method transforms actions into policies that can be flexibly deployed on SRv6 nodes, segment by segment. These actions encompass both routing and security measures, allowing for dynamic and flexible deployment of policies on each segment to achieve the desired goals. This integration of segment routing and zero-trust principles simplifies implementation and enhances security. Comprehensive experiments were conducted to evaluate the proposed method. The results demonstrate significant improvements over state-of-the-art methods, including a higher service acceptance rate, better resource utilization, and reduced average latency and packet loss rate.