Network function virtualization: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:26, 9 December 2024

Revision as of 21:52, 15 February 2025

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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>{{cite web|title=Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) Use Cases|url=http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gs/NFV/001_099/001/01.01.01_60/gs_NFV001v010101p.pdf}}</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">{{cite web|title=What's NFV – Network Functions Virtualization?|url=http://www.sdncentral.com/whats-network-functions-virtualization-nfv/|publisher=SDN Central}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Carrier Network Virtualization|url=http://carriernetworkvirtualization.com/company/network-functions-virtualisation-isg-nfv-etsi/|publisher=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 |access-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= deadusurped }}</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>{{cite web|url=http://www.serviceprovideritreport.com/author.asp?section_id=3098|title=Middleware for the NFV Generation|publisher=Service Provider IT Report|first=Lee|last=Doyle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.policychargingcontrol.com/1643-wind-river-s-launches-nfv-ecosystem-program-with-initial-five-industry-leaders| title=Wind River Launches NFV Ecosystem Program with Five Industry Leaders|publisher=PCC Mobile Broadband|first1=Ray|last1=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>{{cite web|title=Carrier-Grade Reliability—A "Must-Have" for NFV Success|url=http://electronicdesign.com/communications/carrier-grade-reliability-must-have-nfv-success|publisher=Electronic Design|first1=Charlie|last1=Ashton|date=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>{{cite web|title=5 must-have attributes of an NFV platform|url=http://www2.alcatel-lucent.com/techzine/5-must-attributes-nfv-platform/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526044023/http://www2.alcatel-lucent.com/techzine/5-must-attributes-nfv-platform/ |archive-date=2015-05-26|publisher=Techzine, Alcatel-Lucent|first1=Andreas|last1=Lemke|date=November 2014}}</ref> and of computing resource without compromising performance predictability.