Software Defined Networks
Chapter 10
Network Functions Virtualization
Chapter 10 1
These slides have been prepared to accompany the book “Software Defined Networks – A Comprehensive Approach” Dr. Paul
Goransson, Chuck Black, and Timothy Culver. The authors and publisher Morgan Kaufman allow lecturers and public and private
universities the right to modify these slides for their own use when the book is being used for a class. Since the SDN marketplace
is changing rapidly, the accompanying PowerPoints and related classroom material will be updated every few months
Chapter 10 Page 2
Network Functions Virtualization
• 2012 – What happened in this year?
– The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of her accession
to the thrones of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
– After 244 years since its first publication, the Encyclopedia Britannica discontinues its
print edition.
– The century's second and last solar transit of Venus occurs. The next pair are predicted
to occur in 2117 and 2125.
– Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person to break the sound barrier
without any machine assistance during a record space dive out of the Red Bull Stratos
helium-filled balloon from 24 miles (39 kilometers) over Roswell, New Mexico in the
United States
– NFV was introduced in a presentation titled “Network Functions Virtualisation; An
Introduction, Benefits, Enablers, Challenges, and Call for Action” in 2012 at the SDN
and OpenFlow World Congress.
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Definition from ETSI
– “Network Functions Virtualisation aims to transform the way
that network operators architect networks by evolving standard
IT virtualisation technology to consolidate many network
equipment types onto industry standard high volume servers,
switches and storage, which could be located in Datacentres,
Network Nodes and in the end user premises. It involves the
implementation of network functions in software that can run
on a range of industry standard server hardware, and that can
be moved to, or instantiated in, various locations in the network
as required, without the need for installation of new
equipment.”
• Network Functions Vitualisation; An Introduction, Benefits, Enablers, Challenges & Call for Action October 22-24, 2012 at the “SDN and OpenFlow World
Congress”, Darmstadt-Germany. This white paper is available at the following link: [Link]
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Definition from ETSI
– Simplified
• ETSI has defined an approach to take physical network
functions (pNF) to a Virtual Network Function (VNF)
– IT has embraced virtualization for years.
• Why is there a need for the ETSI to specify an
approach?
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Definition from ETSI
– Vision
• The framework defines a NFV Infrastructure (NFVI)
where VNFs being created and managed by a NFV
Orchestrator (NVFO) and VNF Manager.
• The ETSI model for NFV has defined a management and
orchestration architecture and nicknamed it MANO.
• Lets visit come NFV vendors that are MANO compliant
– [Link]
-mano
/
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Definition from ETSI
– MANO framework functional blocks
• NFV Orchestrator:
– on-boarding of new Network Service (NS), VNF-FG and VNF Packages
NS lifecycle management (including instantiation, scale-out/in, performance
measurements, event correlation, termination) global resource management,
validation and authorization of NFVI resource requests policy management for NS
instances
• VNF Manager:
– lifecycle management of VNF instances
overall coordination and adaptation role for configuration and event
reporting between NFVI and the E/NMS
• Virtualised Infrastructure Manager (VIM):
– controlling and managing the NFVI compute, storage and network
resources, within one operator’s infrastructure sub-domain
collection and forwarding of performance measurements and events
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Definition from ETSI
– Network Virtualization (NV)
• Has been around for years
• Creates tunnels through existing physical network
• Simplifies work of network administrators and
technicians
• Can be perceived as a tunnel created as a per flow
service
– NFV goes a step further and virtualizes layer 4
through 7 functions
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Network Functions Virtualization
• What can we virtualize?
– Let’s whiteboard some examples
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Network Functions Virtualization
• What can we virtualize?
– ETSI NFV Prototype projects include
– AR - Enterprise Access Router / Enterprise CPE
– PE - Provider Edge Router
– FW - Enterprise Firewall
– NG-FW - Enterprise NG-FW
– WOC - Enterprise WAN optimization Controller
– DPI - Deep Packet Inspection (Appliance or a function)
– IPS - Intrusion Prevention System and other Security
appliances
– Network Performance Monitoring
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Network Functions Virtualization
• What can we virtualize?
– ETSI IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
• IMS is a session control architecture to support
provisioning of multimedia services over EPC (Evolved
Packet Core) and other IP-based networks. Some of the
network functions being virtualized include P-CSCF, S-
CSCF, HSS and PCRF.
• In 2014, Nokia announced general availability of portfolio
of VNFs for
– Evolved Packet Core (EPC)
– IP Multi-media Subsystem (IMS)
– Radio Access Network (RAN)
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Network Functions Virtualization
• What can we virtualize?
– [Link] maintains a list of NFV elements which
include
» Application Acceleration
» Application Delivery Controllers/Load Balancers
» DDos Protection
» Deep-packet Inspection
» Evolved Packet Core (EPC) functions
» Intrusion Prevention
» Network Brokering, Tapping, or Monitoring
» Policy Management
» Virtual Firewalls
» Virtual Routing & Switching
» WAN Optimization Controller
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Network Functions Virtualization
• What can we virtualize?
– NFV for Dummies
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Examples
– A10 Load Balancer/ADC vThunder* – WAN Optimization vWAAS
– Alcatel-Lucent Distribution, Core and Multi- – Citrix Load Balancer
service Routers – Dell/Force10 Access Switches
– Arista Distribution, Core, and Access Switches – Ericsson Carrier Aggregation
– Blue Coat Forward and Reverse Proxy - ProxySG – F5 Application Accelerators
– Brocade Distribution, Core, Access Switches, – Fortinet Edge/Perimeter Firewall
Firewall, Load Balancer, Application – Hitachi Access Switches
Accelerator, WAN Edge – Huawei Universal Service Routers
– Checkpoint Edge/Perimeter Firewalls
– Juniper Edge/Perimeter Firewall, Compute
– Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect, Routers,
Firewall VGW
Edge/Perimeter Firewalls, Load Balancer,
Application Acceleration
– Palo Alto Networks
– Web Security WSA, Virtual WSA
– Device Role Edge/Perimeter Firewall
– Load Balancer ACE-Appliance, ACE-Module – Radware Load Balancer/ADC
– Management Station VNMC – Riverbed Load Balancer/ADC, WAN
– WLC – Wireless LAN Controller Optimization
– VMware Edge Gateway, Virtual Access
Switches, vCenter
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Standards
– ETSI
• The de facto standards body for NFV is the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). After
being charted as the standard bearer for NFV in 2012,
the ETSI published the first five specifications on
Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) in 20139. Today,
the ETSI has 20 specifications on their website available
for free to download.
• View specifications
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Network Functions Virtualization
• OPNFV
– What is the OPNFV?
– Why do we need it?
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Network Functions Virtualization
• OPNFV
– The OPNFV has created an initial build of the NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) and Virtual Infrastructure
Manager (VIM) components. The diagram of their first release Arno is listed below
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Network Functions Virtualization
• OPNFV
– The goal of OPNFV is to create a platform based
on the ETSI NFV architectural framework that is
built with Open Source products like Ceph, KVM,
OpenDaylight, OpenStack and OpenvSwitch.
– They have created a community test lab where
end users and developers can deploy their own or
3rd party VNFs to test functionality and
performance.
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Leading NFV Vendors
– Alcatel-Lucent – Fortinet
– Arista – HP
– – Hitachi
Blue Coat
– Huawei
– Brocade
– Lenovo/IBM
– Checkpoint
– Juniper
– Cisco – Palo Alto Networks
– Citrix – Radware
– Ericsson – Riverbed
– F5 – VMware
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Leading NFV Vendors
– Carrier NFV
» Nokia (includes acquisition Alcatel-Lucent)
» Arista
» Brocade
» Cisco
» Ericsson
» F5
» HP
» Hitachi
» Huawei
» Juniper
» Palo Alto Networks
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Leading NFV Vendors
– Wireless Carrier NFV
• Nokia (includes acquisition Alcatel-Lucent)
• Arista
• Cisco
• Ericsson
• Huawei
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Leading NFV Vendors
– Enterprise / Datacenter NFV
– Arista
– Blue Coat
– Checkpoint
– Cisco
– Citrix
– Fortinet
– HP
– Hitachi
– Lenovo/IBM
– Juniper
– Radware
– Riverbed
– VMware
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Network Functions Virtualization
• Leading NFV Vendors
– It is unusual to refer to an external website as a
good source of vendor lists, but [Link] has
done a great job of providing a real-time list of
various vendors involved in SDN, NFV, and Network
Virtualizing The following is a link to the directory:
– [Link]
tory/
•
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– Whiteboard Discussion
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– SDN
• SDN makes the network programmable by separating
the control plane (telling the network what goes
where) from the data plane (sending packets to specific
destinations). It relies on switches that can be
programmed through an SDN controller using an
industry standard control protocol, such as OpenFlow.
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– NV and NFV
• NV and NFV add virtual tunnels and functions to the
physical network
• SDN changes the physical network
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– Why do we need SDN?
• Business case for SDN
– Need to provide faster and more flexible service
fulfillment.
• Scope
– Control and manage anything that could
contribute to a services
» Includes VNFs under the management of
VNFI
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– NFV
• About reducing the cost and time to provide a network
function(s) that contribute to the delivery of a service.
• SDN controller view of a VNF
– Just another service
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– Questions to ponder
• Should I use NFV or SDN?
• How do SDN and NFV work together?
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– When should NFV be used with SDN?
• Many VNFs that need to be virtualized
• Examples
– AT&T
– Verizon
– SDN is not constrained to managing VNFs. The
scope of SDN is much larger.
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– Business ramifications and market for NFV
• Low end
– SDN/NFV market value by 2018 $ 11 billion
• High end
– SDN/NFV market value by 2020 $105 billion
• SDN/NFV Software
– Will make up three quarters of revenue in 2018
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– Business ramifications and market for NFV
• Hardware to Software Migration
– Big NEMs like Cisco, Juniper, Huawei
• Economics of software versus hardware
– Variable cost
• Traditional Software Economics
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– In-line Network Functions
• The inline device is one that receives a packet and then
forwards it to its intended destination. Inline network
devices can include
– Routers, switches, firewalls, IDS (intrusion detection
systems), IPS (intrusion prevention systems,
application firewalls, network taps, etc.
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– NFV versus SDN
• Should SDN be used?
– Two extremes
» Single data center using NFV to support
batch processing
» Multi-tenant datacenter with thousands
of customers
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Network Functions Virtualization
• SDN versus NFV
– Conclusion
• NFV complimented by SDN will have a large impact on
data centers, networks, and carriers.
• The industry solutions will be less costly and
OpenSource is embraced by customers and NFV
vendors. The promise of the OPNFV is promote the use
of OpenSource products within the NFV architectural
framework developed and overseen by the ETSI.
• The adoption of NFV will accelerate over the next few
years.
Chapter 10 Page 36