Virtualizing Network Functions: Could NFV Mean Network Nirvana?
Virtualizing Network Functions:Could NFV Mean Network Nirvana?NFV promises both network savings and streamlining, but first you need to understandthe technology and how to procure the configuration that works best for your network.EDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDEDFOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESS FORNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER
EDITOR’SNOTEHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER2Could NFV Be the Network’s Holy Grail?The scene: Late 2012. Global networkoperators feel the urge to add a new acronymto the already impressive list that rules theirindustry.The result? NFV is born. Network functionsvirtualization is the effort to virtualize network equipment onto switches, servers andstorage to reduce network cost and complexity.NFV does much more than satisfy that newacronym itch. With incredible potential to saveon capital equipment and network operationscosts, as well as reach the holy grail of managing legacy network components and virtualresources as one, NFV has quickly entered service provider lexicon.This TechGuide provides you with thebackground you need to move forward withNFV. First, CIMI Corp. president Tom Nollelooks at the network-management aspects ofNFV and discusses needed changes to existing systems, with an emphasis on managing anVIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?entire network service, not individual devices.He looks at both the options and the cast ofcharacters in a position to make the neededchanges.Then Nolle lays out how telecom providersshould go about procuring NFV in a Requestfor Proposal because standard RFP templatesjust won’t cut it. Network operators are anxious to deploy NFV, but they need to askadditional questions if they hope to reap itsbenefits. Nolle outlines the steps to create anNFV ecosystem that works.Finally, for anyone who needs a short-andsweet holistic look at NFV (and who doesn’t?),David Jacobs offers a primer on where NFVcame from and how it works—an essential readno matter where you are in the NFV-deployment process. nKate GerwigEditorial Director, Networking Media Group
NEW MODELSNew Management Models Needed for NFVHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER3When a cadre of giant global network operators started the initiative known as NetworkFunctions Virtualization (NFV) in late 2012,their stated goal was to leverage virtualizationtechnology to consolidate network equipmenttypes onto industry-standard servers, switchesand storage.Clearly this was aimed at reducing the capital cost of purpose-built network equipment.But only a year later, the focus widened. Thesesame operators believed the benefit of NFVwould lie in improving the efficiency of operations, even enabling service agility.That was a profound shift that meant NFV’ssuccess would depend on its operationaleffectiveness, and this would require a shiftin the network management model away fromone that is device-driven and toward one thatwould take into account orchestration acrossboth legacy network components and virtualresources.VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?WHY VIRTUAL NETWORK FUNCTIONS CAN’TBE MANAGED LIKE TRADITIONAL DEVICESThe challenge for NFV is that a new operationsmodel must provide efficiency across an entireservice. This means management models mustreach beyond hosting virtual functions on servers as specific devices.What the ETSI NFV Industry SpecificationGroup (ISG) process appears to aim for is thecreation of a network management model forNFV that “plugs into” a current network management system (NMS) and OSS/BSS by offering element management interfaces to NFVprocesses and elements.In effect, this means that a virtual networkfunction, or a complex of such functions thatemulates the behavior of a physical appliance(like a firewall), would be a virtual form of thatphysical device and be managed in the same way.While this approach would address thestated goal of exploiting virtualization, it also
NEW MODELSsuggests that overall service deployment andmanagement practices would change little asNFV is deployed. That makes it difficult tosecure major changes in operating efficiency orservice agility.HOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER4HOW TO CHANGE THE NETWORKMANAGEMENT MODEL FOR NFVThere are two ways this could change—one,by creating a smarter higher layer above NFV,and two, by making an NFV virtual device intosomething very different from the real deviceon which it was based.The connections between virtual networkfunctions inside an NFV virtual device couldalready involve legacy network components andcertainly would involve multiple virtual function components, virtual machines or containers for hosting, etc. That means that everyNFV virtual device is really a system of cooperating elements whose collective functionalityhas to be reflected through the managementinformation base that represents the virtualdevice to any management system or OSS/BSSelement.VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?If the scope of a virtual device is verysmall—limited to emulating a single real appliance—then current systems and practiceswould change little when NFV is deployed.If, however, the virtual device was expandedto include more legacy network components,it’s possible to visualize an NFV “device” thatrepresents a complete end-to-end service,including both virtual and legacy elements. Inthat case, how NFV services were deployed andmanaged inside the virtual device boundarywould determine how agile and operationallyefficient the service was.The problem with this approach is that wealready have NMS, OSS and BSS for legacynetworks and for the legacy components offuture networks. If NFV defines an umbrellaoperations model, how does that modelembrace service components that have no NFVcomponents?A NETWORK MANAGEMENTMODEL FOR INTEGRATED NFVAn alternate approach preserves these pastpractices by creating a new operations model
NEW MODELSHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMERthat sits above the ETSI NFV processes. Thismodel would define services as a collectionof virtual elements some of which might beimplemented through NFV processes and somethrough normal legacy-network provisioningand management. Efficiencies in service agilityand operations efficiency would be created bythis new operations model and could be appliedeven to services with no NFV components atall.It should be clear that what’s being considered here is less what needs to be done operationally than where the new operations modelwould reside. What’s being described in eitherthe “inside” or “on top of NFV” situations is atwo-level process of orchestration and management that contrasts with the single-level practices that dominate today. The NFV operationsmodel consists of a functional layer wherelogical components of services are assembledinto retail offerings regardless of how they areimplemented, and a second structural layerwhere the logical components are actuallydeployed by committing network, software andserver resources.This model fits both the evolving NFV specifications and cloud computing’s own notionof “DevOps” provisioning quite well, sinceboth could fit in the structural layer. However,there are no functional-layer models currentlyaccepted, and many would argue that none areunder consideration. Two issues deter such amodel: jurisdiction and management.WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR BUILDING AMANAGEMENT MODEL BEYOND OSS/BSS?Something that lies between OSS/BSS andnetworks could logically be called either anextension to OSS/BSS or an extension to thenetwork. The TM Forum (TMF) is the acceptedOSS/BSS standards group and so would be alogical candidate to pursue functional management models. The problem is that functionalWhat’s being described in either the “inside” or “on top of NFV”situations is a two-level process of orchestration and management.5VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?
NEW MODELSHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVoperations models look a lot like buildingservice logic and the TMF is a managementbody.On the network side, there’s no shortageof possible sources for a model, ranging fromthe NFV ISG and cloud groups like OpenStack, to the IETF, the International Telecommunications Union, 3GPP and even theOpen Networking Foundation. A network-sideoperations model might end up being five suchHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER6VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?models, which would then demand a higherlevel model to accommodate them all.The most likely paths to a resolution ofNFV’s operations challenges are the TMF atthe OSS/BSS level or a union of the NFV ISGand the ONF on the network side. Those twobodies have already agreed on cooperating,but the focus of their cooperation is well belowthe functional level and it leaves managementout of the picture completely. —Tom Nolle
RFP PROCESSHow to Fine-Tune Your RFP Processfor Network Functions VirtualizationHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER7Many of the world’s telecom providers areso serious about network functions virtualization that they’re already starting the procurement process for the technology so theycan decouple specific network functions fromproprietary hardware appliances and run themin software. In most cases, procuring NFV willinvolve soliciting one or more requests forinformation (RFIs) or requests for proposal(RFPs).The cautionary note is, however, that inmany cases, the RFIs and RFPs won’t elicit theinformation the buyer actually needs. This isbecause an NFV request needs to be a mixture of typical RFI/RFP processes, as well as anexploration of the special issues and specialrisks of NFV.In general, all RFIs and RFPs should begin byclearly delineating the business goals the provider is trying to meet, then align those goalswith NFV deployment. The model—that is, theVIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?provider’s NFV RFP—must identify all of thenecessary components of an architecture thatwill realize the benefits. The RFI or RFP shouldthen solicit information needed to defend thekey architecture assumptions and ask for suggestions on how to improve the project asoutlined.Some operators have a standard form for RFIsand RFPs, and this can be a good starting pointas long as these general issues are addressed,and the special issues of NFV are properlydeveloped.Keep in mind that NFV poses a special riskin the area of benefits and deployment scope.Most operators looking at NFV admit that theirviews have changed in terms of how NFV willbenefit them in the future. The initial goal ofNFV was to reduce capital expenditure (Capex)by substituting low-cost software hosted oncommodity servers in place of higher-costcustom network hardware devices. But most
RFP PROCESSHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENToperators don’t believe that using NFV willlower Capex enough to help the bottom line.Carriers are now looking for a combinationof lower operations expenditures and improvedservice revenues. Since service agility or operations efficiency are typically developed endto-end, this change raises the risk that an NFVproject will affect too small an area of a serviceto make a significant difference.MODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER8STEPS TO PLOT OUT YOUR NFVECOSYSTEM DEPLOYMENTEven in this early stage of NFV trials, wealready know that the lack of appropriate scopeto meet expected benefits is the number oneproblem found in RFIs and RFPs.The best way to ensure your benefits andNFV project scope align is to draw three diagrams. The first should show you infrastructureas it is today, the baseline state. The seconddiagram should show your vision of what acomplete NFV deployment would look like, andthe third should show what a credible intermediate state like a field-trial configuration, couldlook like.VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?Focus on what changes in the three diagrams,because changes will create both your benefitsand your costs. If you propose to reduce thetotal cost of ownership for VPN infrastructureby 30%, for example, and you have drawn diagrams that show less than a fifth of your infrastructure is actually affected by the NFV model,then your benefit case is unlikely to be met.NFV is an ecosystem, and in fact it is beingstandardized as an open ecosystem. Thatmeans you’ll need to call out a complete NFVecosystem in your RFI or RFP and get specificresponses for everything in it. The easiest wayto do that is to remember that there are threepieces to NFV. You’ll need to get informationon each one.Doesthe vendor provide them, are they availablefrom third parties, or is there another option?Are they open-source or licensed, and if theyare licensed, what is the cost? It is critical tounderstand the sources of the virtual networkfunctions because your future services willdepend on getting their features from somespecific source. Thevirtual network functions needed.
RFP PROCESS TheHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTinfrastructure on which the functions run.What specific server, operating system andmiddleware combinations are needed, andwhat are the terms of their availability andsupport? The best cost points are reachedwith commodity platforms, but some customization of hardware and software for communications performance may be worth thecost.are not complete. In addition, risks are alwaysassociated with “standard approaches.” Vendorsmay support the standards but extend themand use their extensions in their implementation of one or more of the three areas above.This can create silos of proprietary NFV thatwill weaken integration and make it harder tounify service creation and operations.MODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER Themanagement and orchestration (MANO)software that automates the virtual networkCHANGES TO THE NFV RFP PROJECTfunctions deployment and supports lifecycleThe final issue is that of suggested changes tothe project. Most operators believe that theyshould ask vendors for suggestions or improvements, but this can turn an organized RFI orRFP into a series of responses so different thatthey can’t be compared to a single standard orto each other. It’s best to offer a presumptivemodel that will meet your goals and requirethat all who respond offer responses basedon that model first. Then they can suggestalternatives.If you allow vendors to propose modifications or extensions, require that they producethe three diagrams in their proposals so youMANO is an area of specialconcern because most NFV solutions don’tactually include all of the tools needed tomanage a service that includes NFV elementson an end-to-end basis. That makes it harderto realize overall gains in operations efficiency or service agility.management.You need to understand how these parts gotogether, and it’s tempting to simply referencethe NFV ISG architecture of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. This isn’tsufficient at present because the standards9HOW TO HANDLE SUGGESTED VENDORVIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?
RFP PROCESSHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:can compare their suggestions to your basecase more easily. That also helps induce thevendors to propose complete alternatives andnot just isolated tweaks that might have profound implications.It’s a matter of policy whether you want toconsider a vendor that proposes extensionsand declines to provide a solution for yourown base case. If you’re confident in the valueof your approach, you should consider thisnon-responsive. If you don’t, you may have toreissue your document in order to allow thevariation to be fair to all vendors and to solicitthe largest base of solutions.The most important thing to rememberA PRIMER10VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?about NFV is that it will rarely displace allyour legacy infrastructure. Currently, operators believe that in full deployment, softwaredefined networking and NFV combined wouldmake up between a fifth and a third, respectively, of their network infrastructure.An extensive NFV deployment is likely todemand harmonizing your technology choicesat a higher operations level to secure efficientservice creation and continuing operations.Since those are the two things now seen as theprime benefits of NFV, a top-down and complete NFV project has to be the goal, or there’sa risk you’ll have no NFV project at all.—Tom Nolle
NFV PRIMERNetwork Functions Virtualization: A PrimerHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER11Network functions virtualization(NFV) allows engineers to replace traditionalnetwork devices with software that lives oncommodity servers. This software performsthe network functions previously provided bydedicated hardware.This combination of server and software canreplace a wide range of network devices, fromswitches and routers to firewalls and VPN gateways. These new software devices may run onphysical servers, virtual machines controlledby hypervisors or a combination of the two.NFV was initiated by a group of network service providers, including ATT, BT, DeutscheTelecom and Verizon, and was first presentedat the SDN and OpenFlow World Congress inOctober 2012. The technology takes advantageof developments in virtualization technologyand hardware optimizations built into the latest generation of processor chips and networkinterfaces to reduce or eliminate the need forVIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?traditional, dedicated network devices.While software-based routers and switcheshave been available for many years, movingnetwork functions to servers in high throughput networks was not possible with previousgenerations of processors and network interfaces. For example, a PC loaded with routersoftware was limited by the fact that all packetprocessing was performed in the machine’sCPU, with no hardware assist built into theinterface card or onto the PC motherboard.Now, processors and network adapters provide greatly increased throughput and processing capability because they’ve been optimizedto support virtualization. Newer processorscontain multiple cores to spread the load acrossmultiple virtual machines and applications.Additionally, adapters include hardware features that support multiple 10 GbE interfaces,while offloading tasks previously done on theprocessor. Per core packet queues and adapters
NFV PRIMERin virtual networks support offload functionsfrom the virtual switch. Meanwhile, networkcontroller chips include support for features,including link-level encryption, IPsec, TCPpacket partitioning and checksum calculation.more VPN gateways, these already purchasedfirewalls would lay idle. With network functions virtualization, a server that is a firewalltoday can be a VPN gateway tomorrow withjust a shift in software.NFV REDUCES COSTS ANDNETWORK FUNCTIONS VIRTUALIZATIONIMPROVES RESOURCE USAGEOFFERS FLEXIBLE SOFTWARECarriers and service providers began workingon NFV to better use resources in complicatednetworks in order to reduce cost and complexity. Though carriers and service providers have led NFV efforts, the technology helpsany enterprise with a vast network and a widediversity of functions.Very large networks have massive inventoryof different device types, including PE or CErouters, firewalls, session border controllers,VPN gateways and a variety of other devicetypes. These devices are constantly beingdeveloped and acquired, so equipment rapidly becomes obsolete and must be replaced.What’s more, lots of this equipment spendsplenty of time unused. For example, if a smallnetwork change requires fewer firewalls butNFV’s ability to spin up an additional virtualserver or update the software on a physicalserver reduces the need to move devices fromrack to rack, move cables and recompute powerand cooling requirements when the networkgrows or is reconfigured. This decreases thepossibility of network downtime that generallyexists when changes are made in a traditionalnetwork.Finally, relying on software for network functions opens the door to a new level of inputand innovation by software developers or thirdparties as opposed to depending on innovationfrom traditional hardware vendors that can beslow moving. New concepts in network software can come from the open software community, from academia or from minimally fundedHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER12VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?
NFV PRIMERstartups. Newly developed software can bequickly evaluated since testing does not requirewaiting for the next network vendor softwareupdate.HOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESSFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER13communicating with software-based components on commodity servers. What’s more,these servers and software can be designed tobe OpenFlow-friendly, unlike many existinghardware switches.NFV AND SDN: COMPLEMENTARY,BUT NOT THE SAMENFV CHALLENGES NEED SOLUTIONS TO EVOLVESoftware-defined networking (SDN) is not arequirement for NFV, but the two technologiesare complementary.Engineers can implement NFV, choosing torely on traditional networking algorithms suchas spanning tree or IGRP instead of moving toan SDN architecture.Yet SDN can improve performance and simplify operations in a network functions virtualization environment. With SDN engineersdecouple the control plane from the physicalnetwork, monitoring and directing the entirenetwork from a centralized controller. Thiscontroller functions on a server and generatesdirectives to each data plane device. While SDNwas originally conceived to control the operation of network hardware devices, it can justas easily integrate into an NFV environment,Multiple challenges must be resolved for theNFV concept to be widely adopted:VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA? A standardized interface must be developedbetween virtual appliances and the underlying hardware and hypervisor to make appliances portable across different operators’ orenterprise networks.Testing is still required to determine theperformance penalty that occurs due toreplacing specialized devices with commodity servers. (The penalty can be minimizedby choosing appropriate software, accordingto the proposal’s authors.)A migration path must be developed toenable NFV implementations to coexist with
NFV PRIMERexisting management infrastructure and withlegacy network equipment. HOMEA standard set of management interfacesmust be developed to provide a consistentview across NFV components and remaininghardware-based network components.multiple devices and management methodsdeveloped over past generations. NFV mustprovide simpler, more uniform management. Network operators must be able to integrateany vendor’s server hardware, hypervisor, andany appliance.EDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENT MODELS NEEDED FOR NFVHOW TO FINE-TUNEYOUR RFP PROCESS FOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONNETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATION:A PRIMER 14Automation services must be developed forNFV implementations to scale.Security, network resiliency and stabilitycannot be compromised by the transitionto NFV. New security strategies may needto be developed to work in an NFVenvironment.Network operations must be simplified.Today’s network complexity is because ofVIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?As for the future of NFV, several industryinitiatives are underway. An Industry Specification Group (ISG) has been formed within theauspices of the ETSI to address existing challenges. Several computer and network equipment vendors have joined with the serviceproviders to advance this initiative. Plans alsocall for working closely with the Open Networking Foundation as it continues to accelerate the adoption of SDN technologies andstandards. —David B. Jacobs
ABOUTTHEAUTHORSTOM NOLLE is president of CIMI Corp., a strategic consult-ing firm specializing in telecom and data communicationssince 1982. He is the publisher of Netwatcher, a journaladdressing advanced telecom strategy issues.of The Jacobs Group has more thantwenty years of networking industry experience. He hasmanaged leading-edge software development projectsand consulted to Fortune 500 companies as well assoftware startups.DAVID B. JACOBSHOMEEDITOR’S NOTENEW MANAGEMENTMODELS NEEDED FOR NFVVirtualizing Network Functions:Could NFV Mean Network Nirvana?is a SearchTelecom.com e-publication.Kate Gerwig Editorial DirectorRivka Gewirtz Little Executive EditorKara Gattine Senior Managing EditorHOW TO FINE-TUNEJessica Scarpati Features and E-zine EditorYOUR RFP PROCESSBrenda L. Horrigan Associate Managing EditorFOR NETWORK FUNCTIONSVIRTUALIZATIONLinda Koury Director of Online DesignNETWORK FUNCTIONSNeva Maniscalco Graphic DesignerVIRTUALIZATION:Doug Olender Senior Vice President/Publisherdolender@techtarget.comA PRIMERTechTarget275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466www.techtarget.com 2014 TechTarget Inc. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from thepublisher. TechTarget reprints are available through The YGS Group.About TechTarget: TechTarget publishes media for information technologyprofessionals. More than 100 focused websites enable quick access to a deepstore of news, advice and analysis about the technologies, products and processes crucial to your job. Our live and virtual events give you direct access toindependent expert commentary and advice. At IT Knowledge Exchange, oursocial community, you can get advice and share solutions with peers and experts.COVER ART: THINKSTOCK15VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA?
FOR NETWORK FUNCTIONS VIRTUALIZATION NETWORK FUNCTIONS VIRTUALIZATION: A PRIMER 3 VIRTUALIZING NETWORK FUNCTIONS: COULD NFV MEAN NETWORK NIRVANA? NEW MODELS New Management Models Needed for NFV When a cadre of giant global network oper-ators started the initiative known as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) in late 2012,
NFV: Network Functions Virtualization NFV advocates virtualizing service-provider networking and IT functionalities using software hosted on general-purpose servers . Distributed NFV – Ja
NFV provides an opportunity for a better approach. Guidance and Best Practices available in GS NFV-REL 002 & GS NFV-REL 003 (published) A new work item has been launched to specify requirements on software update. The scope covers all types of software related to NFV: VNFs, MANO and NFVI. ETSI GR NFV-REL 006:
Architecture of the Infrastructure Domains Compute Domain GS NFV INF 003 Hypervisor Domain GS NFV INF 004 Infrastructure Network Domain GS NFV INF 005 Architectural Methodology Interfaces and Abstraction GS NFV INF 007 Service Quality
ETSI 2 ETSI GS NFV-MAN 001 V1.1.1 (2014-12) Reference DGS/NFV-MAN001 Keywords configuration, management, network, NFV, orchestration ETSI 650 Route des Lucioles
NFV, Cloud and SDN The ESTI NFV architecture creates three fundamental critical blocks: NFVI or NFV Infrastructure comprised of the underlying datacenter hardware (compute, networking and storage) with the associated virtualization layer, abstracting that hardware to a software controlled Cloud and SDN environment.
Components of the Telco NFV Cloud ETSI defines an architectural framework for deploying NFV-based services. Operators have since taken that model and derived the necessary components to deploy production services. Essentially, to deliver a Telco NFV cloud, the main pillars that work together are: 1. The network fabric 2.
1) Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is a network architecture concept that proposes using IT virtualization related technologies to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may be connected, or chained, to create communication services [1]. FIGURE 1 shows the vision for Network Functions
American Math Competition 8 Practice Test 8 89 American Mathematics Competitions Practice 8 AMC 8 (American Mathematics Contest 8) INSTRUCTIONS 1. DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOUR PROCTOR TELLS YOU. 2. This is a twenty-five question multiple choice test. Each question is followed by
