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The emerging fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks are empowered by softwarization and programmability, leading to the huge potentials of unprecedented flexibility and capability in cognitive network management such as self-reconfiguration and self-optimization. To help unlock such potentials, this paper proposes a novel framework that is able to monitor and calculate 5G network topological information in terms of advanced spatial metrics. These metrics, together with enabling and optimization algorithms, are purposely designed to address the complexity of 5G network topologies introduced by network virtualization and infrastructure sharing among operators (multi-tenancy). Consequently, this new framework, centred on a topology monitoring agent (TMA), enables on-demand 5G networks' spatial knowledge and topological awareness required by 5G cognitive network management in making smart decisions in various autonomous network management tasks including but not limited to virtual network function placement strategies. The paper describes several technical use cases enabled by the proposed framework, including proactive cache allocation, computation offloading, node overloading alerting, and load balancing. Finally, a realistic 5G testbed is deployed with the central component TMA, together with the new spatial metrics and associated algorithms, implemented. Experimental results empirically validate the proposed approach and demonstrate the scalability and performance of the TMA component. Keywords 5G networks • Topology management • Spatial network metrics • Cognitive management 1 Introduction Network management in the forthcoming fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks is notably influenced by the softwarization of network infrastructures where several hardware components are virtualized and by the multi-tenancy of the network infrastructures where hardware components are shared by different mobile operators. The main motivation of these 5G capabilities is the reduction of both capital and operational costs. 5G virtual network functions (VNFs) can now be deployed automatically and on-demand on the Edge and the Core segments of the 5G network and can be migrated between the computers that belong to the same net-Communicated by V. Loia.

Network management have posed ever-increasing complexity with the evolution of virtualized and softwarized mobile networking paradigm, demanding advanced network visualization and automation technologies to address this significant paradigm shift. This paper provides a novel holographic immersive network management interface that extends the standardized ETSI Zero-Touch Network and Service Management (ZSM) reference architecture to allow network administrators to understand real-time automated tasks in a 5G network without human intervention. This augmented reality based system has been validated and prototyped using Microsoft Hololens 2 in a realistic 5G infrastructure.

This paper presents an architecture to gather nontraditional metrics from 5G multi-tenant infrastructure using information about the network topology to take smart decisions on where to optimal placement VNFs that are used to provide services to network slices. The metrics considered are spatial metrics, where information about the shape and size of the network topology is taken into consideration. The architecture has been prototypical validated showing how optimal decisions are taken in an eMBB high-dense scenario, with topologies up to 65538 mobile users geographically concentrated on the same location. Our prototype is able to deal with the calculation of such spatial metrics over the 5G multi-tenant network with 65538 mobile users within 20 seconds, which make it viable at operational phase.

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