Multi-workflow scheduling and resource provisioning in Mobile Edge Computing using opposition-based Marine-Predator Algorithm

Workflow Scheduling in Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) tries to allocate the best possible set of resources for the workflows, considering objectives such as deadline, cost, energy, Quality of Service (QoS), and so on. However, MEC may be under different workloads from the IoT and this may not have the required amount of resources to efficiently handle the workflows. To mitigate this problem, in this paper, we use proactive resource provisioning and workload prediction methods. For this purpose, we present a workload prediction method using a multilayer feed-forward Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model and apply its results for resource provisioning. Afterward, we present an opposition-based version of the Marine-Predator Algorithm (MPA) algorithm, denoted as OMPA. In this algorithm, we present a probabilistic opposition-based learning (OBL) method, which benefits from the OBL, Quasi OBL, and dynamic OBL methods. Afterward, the OMPA algorithm is used for training the multi-layer feed-forward ANN model and multi-workflow scheduling by taking into account factors such as the makespan and number of Virtual Machines (VMs). Extensive experiments conducted in the iFogSim simulator and on the NASA and Saskatchewan datasets indicate that the proposed scheme can achieve better results compared to other metaheuristic algorithms and scheduling schemes.