Optimal Container Migration/Re-Instantiation in Hybrid Computing Environments

End-users and service providers have recently favored lower latency services. Edge computing has improved user quality of service (QoS) guarantees through the reduced geographical distance, decreased use of the network backbone, and flexible placement of the container hosting edge devices. The under-utilized isolated edge computing idling nodes are significant for service providers, especially for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, the nodes’ minimal maintenance remains a hindrance due to related increased failures. Orchestrating over the edge alongside core environments allows tolerant services and more demanding ones to coexist without impacting the user experience. Therefore, the orchestrator’s second priority is achieving and maintaining the QoS through optimal recovery method selection by either migrating the live containers or re-instantiating them. This paper proposes an Optimal Container Migration/Re-Instantiation (OC-MRI) model to optimize the orchestration methods focusing on downtime, container dependencies, and latency requirements. Next, we introduce a real-time heuristic-based solution, Edge Computing-enabled Container Migration/Re-Instantiation (EC2-MRI). Both models are bench-marked alongside staple greedy approaches. Simulation results showcase the lowest latencies and downtime with the OC-MRI model. Furthermore, the EC2-MRI model shows comparable results to the optimal model with minimal lag.