arXiv subjects

Flávio de Oliveira Silva

Publications and source records attributed to Flávio de Oliveira Silva.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Energy-Aware Agentic Orchestration for Multi-Site Service Deployment

Energy-aware orchestration across geographically distributed infrastructures is increasingly important as data centers absorb growing Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads. However, existing approaches often exclude the energy cost of automated decision-making from system-level sustainability assessments. This paper presents an energy-aware agentic orchestration framework that treats Large Language Model (LLM) reasoning as a measurable component of the control loop. We compare single-shot tool calling, ReAct, and plan-and-execute strategies on a multi-site Kubernetes testbed spanning two European data centers and instrumented at layers ranging from power distribution units to per-pod energy attribution. Using ten natural-language orchestration intents with varying decision complexity, we show that reasoning strategy and intent complexity strongly influence graphics processing unit (GPU) energy consumption during orchestration decisions. ReAct and plan-and-execute generated executable tool calls across all evaluated intents but required multiple LLM inferences, whereas the single-shot configuration was less costly but non-actionable. Prefix caching reduced mean ReAct GPU energy consumption by 29.4%. For the evaluated lightweight workload, the infrastructure-energy changes observed within the one-second measurement window were insufficient to offset the measured GPU decision energy. These findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for reasoning overhead when assessing the sustainability of AI-native orchestration and motivate energy-budgeted selection of agent strategies.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2026

Conflict-Aware Autonomous Resource Orchestration for 5G Edge Slicing Using Multi-Agent Systems and LLMs

5G edge network slicing must reconcile two coupled requirements: understanding high-level operator intent and reallocating scarce computing and bandwidth resources under dynamic contention. Centralized optimization can face computational and responsiveness challenges under rapidly changing edge contention, and Multi-Agent System (MAS)-based auctions can support resource arbitration but still depend on operator-defined economic parameters and priorities. Embedding a Large Language Model (LLM) directly in a recurring control loop, by contrast, may introduce non-negligible inference latency and non-deterministic behavior. This paper proposes a two-timescale architecture that addresses this gap: an LLM-based Strategist translates natural-language network intents into economic policy parameters (budget, income, and bidding-aggressiveness) at the macro scale, while a deterministic, Vickrey-inspired second-price mechanism run by SPADE-based slice agents resolves recurring resource contention at the operational scale, with the resulting allocations enforced by patching Kubernetes CPU limits and Calico CNI bandwidth annotations directly on User Plane Function pods. We evaluate the architecture end-to-end on a real Kubernetes/Open5GS edge cluster across two complementary scenarios, each repeated 30 times: a Smart-City scenario, in which natural-language public-safety intents propagate into measurable changes in slice bids and bandwidth allocations within a few auction rounds, and a Hierarchical-slicing scenario, in which the mechanism provides priority-dependent resource and QoE differentiation, adapts to abrupt demand changes, and preserves configured minimum guarantees while maintaining near-complete allocation of the shared bandwidth pool.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2026

Exposing AI Inference as a Telco Network API over the 5G User Plane

Supporting edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) inference as a network service is challenging because current mobile systems can transport tensors but do not expose or understand the inference context that gives those tensors operational meaning. Prior studies have addressed this gap through dynamic partitioning, collaborative inference, and split pipelines; however, these solutions remain application-bound, network-blind, or context-free. This work proposes Inference on Demand (IoD), an inference-on-demand abstraction that exposes split inference through a CAMARA-like Application Program Interface (API) and carries a split-aware tensor context in-band across the 5G user plane path. We evaluate the IoD on a programmable user plane function (UPF)-based testbed using a partitionable visual AI workload, showing that adaptive split selection can operate as a network-facing service while avoiding the rigid cost profile of static configurations. Including our findings, split inference becomes more than offloading when the service intent, runtime partitioning, and tensor transport are made visible to the mobile data plane. This opens a path toward network-native AI services, in which programmable telco infrastructure coordinates computation, context, and connectivity for user-facing applications.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2026

An Intelligent eUPF for Time-Sensitive Path Selection in B5G Edge Networks

In Beyond 5G (B5G) networks, intelligent, flexible traffic management is essential to meet the stringent speed and reliability requirements of new applications. This paper presents an improved User Plane Function (eUPF) design that uses a Deep Q-Network (DQN) agent for real-time path selection between Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and cloud endpoints. The path selection problem is formulated as a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP). We propose a novel passive delay measurement method that uses eBPF programs to link TEID-based timestamps in GTP-U traffic, allowing for low-cost delay estimation without active testing. Experiments show that the DQN agent substantially outperforms a random baseline, with lower average latency, more stable rewards, and more reliable low-delay path choices. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-driven control in B5G core networks and the promise of reinforcement learning for modern network management.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2026

Evaluating Temporal and Structural Anomaly Detection Paradigms for DDoS Traffic

Unsupervised anomaly detection is widely used to detect Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in cloud-native 5G networks, yet most studies assume a fixed traffic representation, either temporal or structural, without validating which feature space best matches the data. We propose a lightweight decision framework that prioritizes temporal or structural features before training, using two diagnostics: lag-1 autocorrelation of an aggregated flow signal and PCA cumulative explained variance. When the probes are inconclusive, the framework reserves a hybrid option as a future fallback rather than an empirically validated branch. Experiments on two statistically distinct datasets with Isolation Forest, One-Class SVM, and KMeans show that structural features consistently match or outperform temporal ones, with the performance gap widening as temporal dependence weakens.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

Asynchronous Probability Ensembling for Federated Disaster Detection

Quick and accurate emergency handling in Disaster Decision Support Systems (DDSS) is often hampered by network latency and suboptimal application accuracy. While Federated Learning (FL) addresses some of these issues, it is constrained by high communication costs and rigid synchronization requirements across heterogeneous convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. To overcome these challenges, this paper proposes a decentralized ensembling framework based on asynchronous probability aggregation and feedback distillation. By shifting the exchange unit from model weights to class-probability vectors, our method maintains data privacy, reduces communication requirements by orders of magnitude, and improves overall accuracy. This approach enables diverse CNN designs to collaborate asynchronously, enhancing disaster image identification performance even in resource-constrained settings. Experimental tests demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms traditional individual backbones and standard federated approaches, establishing a scalable and resource-aware solution for real-time disaster response.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

Causal Inference for Quantifying Noisy Neighbor Effects in Multi-Tenant Cloud Environments

Resource sharing in multi-tenant cloud environments enables cost efficiency but introduces the Noisy Neighbor problem, i.e., co-located workloads that unpredictably degrade each other's performance. Despite extensive research on detecting such effects, there are no explainable methodologies for quantifying the severity of impact and establishing causal relationships among tenants. We propose an analytical that combines controlled experimentation with multi-stage causal inference and validates it across 10 independent rounds in a Kubernetes testbed. Our methodology not only quantifies severe performance degradations (e.g., up to 67\% in I/O-bound workloads under combined stress) but also statistically establishes causality through Granger causality analysis, revealing a 75\% increase in causal links when the noisy neighbor activates. Furthermore, we identify unique "degradation signatures" for each resource contention vector (i.e., CPU, memory, disk, network), enabling diagnostic capabilities that go beyond anomaly detection. This work transforms the Noisy Neighbor from an elusive problem into a quantifiable, diagnosable phenomenon, providing cloud operators with actionable insights for SLA management and smart resource allocation.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2026

Empowering Mobile Networks Security Resilience by using Post-Quantum Cryptography

The transition to a cloud-native 5G Service-Based Architecture (SBA) improves scalability but exposes control-plane signaling to emerging quantum threats, including Harvest-Now, Decrypt-Later (HNDL) attacks. While NIST has standardized post-quantum cryptography (PQC), practical, deployable integration in operational 5G cores remains underexplored. This work experimentally integrates NIST-standardized ML-KEM-768 and ML-DSA into an open-source 5G core (free5GC) using a sidecar proxy pattern that preserves unmodified network functions (NFs). Implemented on free5GC, we compare three deployments: (i) native HTTPS/TLS, (ii) TLS sidecar, and (iii) PQC-enabled sidecar. Measurements at the HTTP/2 request-response boundary over repeated independent runs show that PQC increases end-to-end Service-Based Interface (SBI) latency to approximately 54 ms, adding a deterministic 48-49 ms overhead relative to the classical baseline, while maintaining tightly bounded variance (IQR <= 0.2 ms, CV < 0.4%). We also quantify the impact of Certification Authority (CA) security levels, identifying certificate validation as a tunable contributor to overall delay. Overall, the results demonstrate that sidecar-based PQC insertion enables a non-disruptive and operationally predictable migration path for quantum-resilient 5G signaling.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2026

TRACE: Traceroute-based Internet Route change Analysis with Ensemble Learning

Detecting Internet routing instability is a critical yet challenging task, particularly when relying solely on endpoint active measurements. This study introduces TRACE, a MachineLearning (ML)pipeline designed to identify route changes using only traceroute latency data, thereby ensuring independence from control plane information. We propose a robust feature engineering strategy that captures temporal dynamics using rolling statistics and aggregated context patterns. The architecture leverages a stacked ensemble of Gradient Boosted Decision Trees refined by a hyperparameter-optimized meta-learner. By strictly calibrating decision thresholds to address the inherent class imbalance of rare routing events, TRACE achieves a superior F1-score performance, significantly outperforming traditional baseline models and demonstrating strong effective ness in detecting routing changes on the Internet.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2025

ARCADE: A RAN Diagnosis Methodology in a Hybrid AI Environment for 6G Networks

Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a key role in developing 6G networks. While current specifications already include Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) as a network element responsible for providing information about the core, a more comprehensive approach will be needed to enable automation of network segments that are not yet fully explored in the context of 5G. In this paper, we present Automated Radio Coverage Anomalies Detection and Evaluation (ARCADE), a methodology for identifying and diagnosing anomalies in the cellular access network. Furthermore, we demonstrate how a hybrid architecture of network analytics functions in the evolution toward 6G can enhance the application of AI in a broader network context, using ARCADE as a practical example of this approach.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2025

Optimizing Edge Gaming Slices through an Enhanced User Plane Function and Analytics in Beyond-5G Networks

The latest generation of games and pervasive communication technologies poses challenges in service management and Service-Level Agreement compliance for mobile users. State-of-the-art edge-gaming techniques enhance throughput, reduce latency, and leverage cloud computing. However, further development of core functions such as the User Plane Function (UPF) is needed for non-intrusive user latency measurement. This paper proposes a closed-loop architecture integrating the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) and UPF to estimate user latency and enhance the 5G control plane by making it latency-aware. The results show that embedding an artificial intelligence model within NWDAF enables game classification and opens new avenues for mobile edge gaming research.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2025

Performance Evaluation and Threat Mitigation in Large-scale 5G Core Deployment

The deployment of large-scale software-based 5G core functions presents significant challenges due to their reliance on optimized and intelligent resource provisioning for their services. Many studies have focused on analyzing the impact of resource allocation for complex deployments using mathematical models, queue theories, or even Artificial Intelligence (AI). This paper elucidates the effects of chaotic workloads, generated by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) on different Network Functions (NFs) on User Equipment registration performance. Our findings highlight the necessity of diverse resource profiles to ensure Service-Level Agreement (SLA) compliance in large-scale 5G core deployments. Additionally, our analysis of packet capture approaches demonstrates the potential of kernel-based monitoring for scalable security threat defense. Finally, our empirical evaluation provides insights into the effective deployment of 5G NFs in complex scenarios.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2025

AI-driven Orchestration at Scale: Estimating Service Metrics on National-Wide Testbeds

Network Slicing (NS) realization requires AI-native orchestration architectures to efficiently and intelligently handle heterogeneous user requirements. To achieve this, network slicing is evolving towards a more user-centric digital transformation, focusing on architectures that incorporate native intelligence to enable self-managed connectivity in an integrated and isolated manner. However, these initiatives face the challenge of validating their results in production environments, particularly those utilizing ML-enabled orchestration, as they are often tested in local networks or laboratory simulations. This paper proposes a large-scale validation method using a network slicing prediction model to forecast latency using Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and basic ML algorithms embedded within an NS architecture, evaluated in real large-scale production testbeds. It measures and compares the performance of different DNNs and ML algorithms, considering a distributed database application deployed as a network slice over two large-scale production testbeds. The investigation highlights how AI-based prediction models can enhance network slicing orchestration architectures and presents a seamless, production-ready validation method as an alternative to fully controlled simulations or laboratory setups.

cs.ET↗

arXiv2025

Towards Sustainability in 6G Network Slicing with Energy-Saving and Optimization Methods

The 6G mobile network is the next evolutionary step after 5G, with a prediction of an explosive surge in mobile traffic. It provides ultra-low latency, higher data rates, high device density, and ubiquitous coverage, positively impacting services in various areas. Energy saving is a major concern for new systems in the telecommunications sector because all players are expected to reduce their carbon footprints to contribute to mitigating climate change. Network slicing is a fundamental enabler for 6G/5G mobile networks and various other new systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and Industrial IoT (IIoT). However, energy-saving methods embedded in network slicing architectures are still a research gap. This paper discusses how to embed energy-saving methods in network-slicing architectures that are a fundamental enabler for nearly all new innovative systems being deployed worldwide. This paper's main contribution is a proposal to save energy in network slicing. That is achieved by deploying ML-native agents in NS architectures to dynamically orchestrate and optimize resources based on user demands. The SFI2 network slicing reference architecture is the concrete use case scenario in which contrastive learning improves energy saving for resource allocation.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2024

VINEVI: A Virtualized Network Vision Architecture for Smart Monitoring of Heterogeneous Applications and Infrastructures

Monitoring heterogeneous infrastructures and applications is essential to cope with user requirements properly, but it still lacks enhancements. The well-known state-of-the-art methods and tools do not support seamless monitoring of bare-metal, low-cost infrastructures, neither hosted nor virtualized services with fine-grained details. This work proposes VIrtualized NEtwork VIsion architecture (VINEVI), an intelligent method for seamless monitoring heterogeneous infrastructures and applications. The VINEVI architecture advances state of the art with a node-embedded traffic classification agent placing physical and virtualized infrastructures enabling real-time traffic classification. VINEVI combines this real-time traffic classification with well-known tools such as Prometheus and Victoria Metrics to monitor the entire stack from the hardware to the virtualized applications. Experimental results showcased that VINEVI architecture allowed seamless heterogeneous infrastructure monitoring with a higher level of detail beyond literature. Also, our node-embedded real-time Internet traffic classifier evolved with flexibility the methods with monitoring heterogeneous infrastructures seamlessly.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2024

Improving the network traffic classification using the Packet Vision approach

The network traffic classification allows improving the management, and the network services offer taking into account the kind of application. The future network architectures, mainly mobile networks, foresee intelligent mechanisms in their architectural frameworks to deliver application-aware network requirements. The potential of convolutional neural networks capabilities, widely exploited in several contexts, can be used in network traffic classification. Thus, it is necessary to develop methods based on the content of packets transforming it into a suitable input for CNN technologies. Hence, we implemented and evaluated the Packet Vision, a method capable of building images from packets raw-data, considering both header and payload. Our approach excels those found in state-of-the-art by delivering security and privacy by transforming the raw-data packet into images. Therefore, we built a dataset with four traffic classes evaluating the performance of three CNNs architectures: AlexNet, ResNet-18, and SqueezeNet. Experiments showcase the Packet Vision combined with CNNs applicability and suitability as a promising approach to deliver outstanding performance in classifying network traffic.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2024

Towards Cognitive Service Delivery on B5G through AIaaS Architecture

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is pivotal in advancing mobile network systems by facilitating smart capabilities and automation. The transition from 4G to 5G has substantial implications for AI in consolidating a network predominantly geared towards business verticals. In this context, 3GPP has specified and introduced the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity at the network's core to provide insights based on AI algorithms to benefit network orchestration. This paper proposes a framework for evolving NWDAF that presents the interfaces necessary to further empower the core network with AI capabilities B5G and 6G. In addition, we identify a set of research directions for realizing a distributed e-NWDAF.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2024

Resource Allocation Influence on Application Performance in Sliced Testbeds

Modern network architectures have shaped market segments, governments, and communities with intelligent and pervasive applications. Ongoing digital transformation through technologies such as softwarization, network slicing, and AI drives this evolution, along with research into Beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G architectures. Network slices require seamless management, observability, and intelligent-native resource allocation, considering user satisfaction, cost efficiency, security, and energy. Slicing orchestration architectures have been extensively studied to accommodate these requirements, particularly in resource allocation for network slices. This study explored the observability of resource allocation regarding network slice performance in two nationwide testbeds. We examined their allocation effects on slicing connectivity latency using a partial factorial experimental method with Central Processing Unit (CPU) and memory combinations. The results reveal different resource impacts across the testbeds, indicating a non-uniform influence on the CPU and memory within the same network slice.

cs.PF↗