Latency-Constrained Overlay Networks for QoS Assurance in the Edge-Cloud Continuum

The Edge-Cloud Continuum (ECC) represents an emerging distributed, multi-tier computing infrastructure that integrates the capabilities of cloud and edge computing to offer a versatile environment capable of hosting applications with specific requirements, such as low latency and high computing capacity, which neither cloud nor edge computing can individually guarantee. However, ensuring Quality of Service (QoS) across the ECC remains a complex task, particularly with regard to networking parameters, due to the limited controllability and predictability of public network segments. This work introduces a QoS-aware mechanism for constructing logical overlay networks that aim to ensure required network performance with high probability, despite the inherent variability of public network environments. The proposed approach builds the overlay by organizing nodes into layers, each defined by a target level of network Qos (e.g., latency). The construction process consists of two key stages: first, collecting network metrics among the available nodes, and second, assigning nodes to layers based on the observed metrics. To validate the proposed approach, this work presents a Monte Carlo simulation campaign that assesses its effectiveness in constructing overlay networks capable of meeting, with high probability, the required QoS levels.