Network function virtualization: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:35, 5 January 2021

Revision as of 23:50, 25 January 2021

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NFV relies upon, but differs from, traditional server-[[virtualization]] techniques, such as those used in enterprise IT. A virtualized network function, or VNF, may consist of one or more [[virtual machines]] or [[OS-level virtualization|containers]] running different software and processes, on top of standard high-volume servers, switches and storage devices, or even [[cloud computing]] infrastructure, instead of having custom hardware appliances for each network function.

For example, a virtual [[session border controller]] could be deployed to protect a network without the typical cost and complexity of obtaining and installing physical network protection units. Other examples of NFV include virtualized [[Network Load Balancing|load balancers]], [[Firewall (computing)|firewalls]], [[Intrusion detection system|intrusion detection devices]] and [[WAN optimization|WAN accelerators]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV); Use NFV is present and SDN is future.Cases|url=http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gs/NFV/001_099/001/01.01.01_60/gs_NFV001v010101p.pdf|accessdateaccess-date=6 June 2014}}</ref>

==Background==

Product development within the telecommunication industry has traditionally followed rigorous standards for stability, protocol adherence and quality, reflected by the use of the term [[carrier grade]] to designate equipment demonstrating this reliability.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/03/how-low-cost-telecom-killed-five-9s-in-cloud-computing/ |title=How Low-Cost Telecom Killed Five 9s in Cloud Computing |journal=Wired |publisher=wired.com |date= 2013-03-13|accessdateaccess-date=2016-06-27|last1=Opengear |first1=Rick Stevenson }}</ref> While this model worked well in the past, it inevitably led to long product cycles, a slow pace of development and reliance on proprietary or specific hardware, e.g., bespoke [[application-specific integrated circuit]]s (ASICs). The rise of significant competition in communication services from fast-moving organizations operating at large scale on the public Internet (such as [[Google Talk]], [[Skype]], [[Netflix]]) has spurred service providers to look for ways to disrupt the status quo.

==History==

In October 2012, a group of telecom operators published a [[white paper]]<ref name="white">{{cite web |title=Network Functions Virtualization— Introductory White Paper |publisher= ETSI |date= 22 October 2012 |url= https://docbox.etsi.org/isg/nfv/open/Publications_pdf/White%20Papers/NFV_White_Paper1_2012.pdf |accessdateaccess-date= 20 June 2013 }}</ref> at a conference in [[Darmstadt, Germany]], on [[software-defined networking]] (SDN) and [[OpenFlow]]. The Call for Action concluding the White Paper led to the creation of the Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) Industry Specification Group (ISG) <ref>{{cite web |title = Network Functions Virtualisation |work= ETSI Standards for NFV |url= https://www.etsi.org/technologies/nfv |accessdateaccess-date= 30 June 2020 }}</ref> within the [[European Telecommunications Standards Institute]] (ETSI). The ISG was made up of representatives from the telecommunication industry from Europe and beyond.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Tier 1 Carriers Tackle Telco SDN |date= 22 October 2012 |author= Ray Le Maistre |work= Light Reading |url= http://www.lightreading.com/software-defined-networking/tier-1-carriers-tackle-telco-sdn/240135217 |accessdateaccess-date= 20 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Latest Agenda at SDN & OpenFlow World Congress |publisher= Layer123.com |url-status=dead |url= http://www.layer123.com/sdn-agenda/ |archive-date= October 14, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121014053339/http://www.layer123.com/sdn-agenda/ |accessdateaccess-date= 20 June 2013}}</ref> Since the publication of the white paper, the group has produced over 100 publications.<ref>{{cite web |title=Standards for NFV: Network Functions Virtualisation |publisher= NFV Solutions |url=https://www.etsi.org/technologies/nfv |website=ETSI |language=en-gb}}</ref> In 2016, one high performance open source version of NFV is released. openNetVM is a high performance NFV platform based on DPDK and Docker containers.<ref>http://faculty.cs.gwu.edu/timwood/papers/16-HotMiddlebox-onvm.pdf</ref>

==Framework==

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The initial perception of NFV was that virtualized capability should be implemented in data centers. This approach works in many – but not all – cases. NFV presumes and emphasizes the widest possible flexibility as to the physical ___location of the virtualized functions.

Ideally, therefore, virtualized functions should be located where they are the most effective and least expensive. That means a service provider should be free to locate NFV in all possible locations, from the data center to the network node to the customer premises. This approach, known as distributed NFV, has been emphasized from the beginning as NFV was being developed and standardized, and is prominent in the recently released NFV ISG documents.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Is "Distributed NFV" Teaching Us Something? |date= 18 September 2013 |author= Tom Nolle |work= CIMI Corporation's Public Blog |url= http://blog.cimicorp.com/?p=1453# |accessdateaccess-date= 2 January 2014}}</ref>

For some cases there are clear advantages for a service provider to locate this virtualized functionality at the customer premises. These advantages range from economics to performance to the feasibility of the functions being virtualized.<ref>{{Cite news |title= RAD Rolls Out Distributed NFV Strategy |date= 3 October 2013 |author= Carol Wilson |work= Light Reading |url= http://www.lightreading.com/carrier-sdn/nfv-(network-functions-virtualization)/esdn-rad-rolls-out-distributed-nfv-strategy/d/d-id/705938 |accessdateaccess-date= 2 January 2014}}</ref>

The first ETSI NFV ISG-approved public multi-vendor [[Proof of concept#Engineering|proof of concept (PoC)]] of D-NFV was conducted by [[Cyan, Inc. (telecommunications company)|Cyan, Inc.]], [[RAD Data Communications|RAD]], [[Fortinet]] and Certes Networks in [[Chicago]] in June, 2014, and was sponsored by [[CenturyLink]]. It was based on RAD's dedicated customer-edge D-NFV equipment running Fortinet's Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) and Certes Networks’ virtual encryption/decryption engine as Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) with Cyan's Blue Planet system orchestrating the entire ecosystem.<ref name=poc>{{cite news|title=4 Vendors Bring Distributed NFV to BTE|url=http://www.lightreading.com/4-vendors-bring-distributed-nfv-to-bte/d/d-id/709403|publisher=Light Reading|date=June 11, 2014|accessdateaccess-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref> RAD's D-NFV solution, a [[Data link layer|Layer 2]]/[[Network layer|Layer 3]] [[Network interface device|network termination unit (NTU)]] equipped with a D-NFV [[X86]] server module that functions as a [[virtualization engine]] at the customer edge, became commercially available by the end of that month.<ref name=commerciallyavailable>{{cite news|title=RAD launches customer-edge distributed NFV solution based on ETX NTU platform|url=http://www.opticalkeyhole.com/eventtext.asp?ID=121877&pd=6/17/2014&bhcp=1|work=Optical Keyhole|date=June 16, 2014|accessdateaccess-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref> During 2014 RAD also had organized a D-NFV Alliance, an ecosystem of vendors and international [[systems integrator]]s specializing in new NFV applications.<ref name=dnfvalliance>{{cite news|title=RAD adds new partners to D-NFV Alliance|url=http://www.telecompaper.com/news/rad-adds-new-partners-to-d-nfv-alliance--1054140|work=Telecompaper|date=December 9, 2014|accessdateaccess-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref>

==NFV modularity benefits==

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VNFCs should in general be able to [[Scalability|scale up and/or scale out]]. By being able to allocate flexible (virtual) CPUs to each of the VNFC instances, the network management layer can scale up (i.e., scale ''vertically'') the VNFC to provide the throughput/performance and scalability expectations over a single system or a single platform. Similarly, the network management layer can scale out (i.e., ''scale horizontally'') a VNFC by activating multiple instances of such VNFC over multiple platforms and therefore reach out to the performance and architecture specifications whilst not compromising the other VNFC function stabilities.

Early adopters of such architecture blueprints have already implemented the NFV modularity principles.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Qosmos Awarded a 2014 INTERNET TELEPHONY NFV Pioneer Award |date= 26 June 2014 |author= TMCnet News |work= TMC |url=http://www.nfvzone.com/topics/newsfeed/articles/382374-tmc-announces-winners-the-2014-internet-telephony-nfv.htm |accessdateaccess-date= 26 June 2014}}</ref>

==Relationship to SDN==

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==Industry impact==

NFV has proven a popular standard even in its infancy. Its immediate applications are numerous, such as virtualization of [[mobile base station]]s, [[platform as a service]] (PaaS), [[content delivery network]]s (CDN), fixed access and home environments.<ref>Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) [http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gs/NFV/001_099/001/01.01.01_60/gs_NFV001v010101p.pdf Use Cases], ETSI GS NFV 001 v1.1.1 (2013-10)</ref> The potential benefits of NFV is anticipated to be significant. Virtualization of network functions deployed on general purpose standardized hardware is expected to reduce capital and operational expenditures, and service and product introduction times.<ref name="benefits">What’s [http://www.sdncentral.com/whats-network-functions-virtualization-nfv/ NFV] – Network Functions Virtualization?, SDN Central</ref><ref>Carrier Network [http://carriernetworkvirtualization.com/company/network-functions-virtualisation-isg-nfv-etsi/ Virtualization], ETSI news</ref> Many major network equipment vendors have announced support for NFV.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Openwave Exec Discusses the Benefits, Challenges of NFV & SDN |work= Article |url= http://www.sdnzone.com/topics/software-defined-network/articles/359936-openwave-exec-discusses-benefits-challenges-nfv-sdn.htm |date= 12 November 2013 |accessdateaccess-date= 22 November 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214633/http://www.sdnzone.com/topics/software-defined-network/articles/359936-openwave-exec-discusses-benefits-challenges-nfv-sdn.htm |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref> This has coincided with NFV announcements from major software suppliers who provide the NFV platforms used by equipment suppliers to build their NFV products.<ref>[http://www.serviceprovideritreport.com/author.asp?section_id=3098 Middleware] for the NFV Generation, Service, Lee Doyle</ref><ref>[http://www.policychargingcontrol.com/1643-wind-river-s-launches-nfv-ecosystem-program-with-initial-five-industry-leaders Wind River Launches] NFV Ecosystem Program with Five Industry Leaders, PCC Mobile Broadband, Ray Sharma</ref>

However, to realize the anticipated benefits of virtualization, network equipment vendors are improving IT virtualization technology to incorporate carrier-grade attributes required to achieve [[high availability]], scalability, performance, and effective network management capabilities.<ref>'Carrier-Grade Reliability—A “[http://electronicdesign.com/communications/carrier-grade-reliability-must-have-nfv-success Must-Have]” for NFV Success', Electronic Design, Charlie Ashton, January 2015</ref> To minimize the total cost of ownership (TCO), carrier-grade features must be implemented as efficiently as possible. This requires that NFV solutions make efficient use of redundant resources to achieve five-nines availability (99.999%),<ref>'5 [http://www2.alcatel-lucent.com/techzine/5-must-attributes-nfv-platform/ must-have attributes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526044023/http://www2.alcatel-lucent.com/techzine/5-must-attributes-nfv-platform/ |date=2015-05-26 }} of an NFV platform', Techzine, Alcatel-Lucent, Andreas Lemke, November 2014</ref> and of computing resource without compromising performance predictability.