4 IoSys

4 WIN
Network-IT-zation

Chapter 4:

NFV :
Network Function Virtualization

1
Chapter Content

▪ Sec 1: What is NFV ?

▪ Sec 2: NFV architecture

▪ Sec 3: Relation between NFV & SDN

2
Sec 1: What is NFV ?
3
Introduction
▪ Originated from telecommunication service providers :
▪ Accelerate service deployment
▪ Support for revenue
▪ Future growth
▪ A new network service = Hardware space and power
▪ Not always available
▪ Short life of hardware-based appliance
▪ ETSI + world wide service provider == ETSI ISG NFV

4
Definition
▪ Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is a new way to design, deploy, and
manage networking services by decoupling the physical network
equipments from the functions that run on them.
▪ It replaces hardware centric, dedicated network devices with software
running on general-purpose CPUs or virtual machines, operating on
standard servers.
▪ Virtual appliance will be instantiated on demand without the installation of
new equipment.

5
History
▪ The original vision outlined in the joint-operator white paper published in October
2012 was:
▪ Defining requirements and architecture for the virtualization of network functions
▪ Addressing technical challenges of network virtualization
▪ 2013-2014 :
▪ to drive convergence on network operator requirements for NFV
▪ to include applicable standards, into industry services and products
▪ to simultaneously develop new technical requirements with the goal of stimulating
innovation and fostering an open ecosystem of vendors
▪ 2015-2016: NFV RELEASE 2
▪ The need to produce normative specifications to enable end-to-end interworking of
equipment and services formed a fundamental part of this phase.

6
History (..)
▪ 2017-2018: NFV RELEASE 3
▪ NFV Release 3 has focused on enriching the NFV Architectural Framework to make
NFV “ready” for global deployment and operations.
▪ Support for the latest network technologies, new operational aspects, advances in
virtualization.
▪ 2019-2020: NFV RELEASE 4
▪ Enhancement to support lightweight virtualization technologies, enhancing automation
capabilities, evolving NFV-MANO framework.
▪ Enhancement of some security aspects

7
What network function to virtualize ?

▪ First, mobile network devices :

switches, routers, HLR, SGSN,
GGSN, CGSN, RNC, SGW, PGW,
MME ..

8
NFV vs Traditional Networks

9
Why we need NFV ?
▪ Virtualization: Use network resource without
▪ worrying about where it is physically located,
▪ how much it is, how it is organized, etc.
▪ Orchestration: Manage thousands of devices
▪ Programmable: Should be able to change behavior on the fly.
▪ Dynamic Scaling: Should be able to change size, quantity
▪ Automation
▪ Visibility: Monitor resources, connectivity
▪ Performance: Optimize network device utilization
▪ Multi-tenancy
▪ Service Integration
▪ Openness: Full choice of Modular plug-ins 10
Sec 2: NFV architecture
11
Global architecture

12
Global architecture : NFVI

▪ The NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) consists of physical networking, computing and

storage resources
▪ These resources can be geographically distributed and exposed as a common
networking/NFV infrastructure.
▪ It is the combination of both hardware and software resources which build up the
environment in which VNFs are deployed, managed and executed.
▪ The NFVI can span across several locations i.e. places where NFVI PoPs are
operated.
▪ The network providing connectivity between these locations is regarded to be part of
the NFVI.

13
Global architecture : VNFs

▪ Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) are software implementations or virtualization

of network functions (NFs) that are deployed on virtual resources such as VM.
▪ Virtualized network functions, or VNFs, are responsible for handling specific network
functions that run in one or more virtual machines on top of the hardware
networking infrastructure, which can include routers, switches, servers, cloud
computing systems and more.
▪ Individual virtualized network functions can be chained or combined together in a
building block-style fashion to deliver full-scale networking communication services

14
Global architecture : MANO

▪ NFV Management and Orchestration functions provide the necessary tools for
operating the virtualized infrastructure, managing the life cycle of the VNFs and
orchestrating virtual infrastructure and network functions to compose value-added
end-to-end network services.
▪ NFV MANO focuses on all virtualization specific management task necessary in the
NFV framework.
▪ NFV enables additional dynamic schemes to create and manage network functions.
Its key concept is the VNF forwarding graph which simplifies the service chain
provisioning by quickly and inexpensively creating, modifying and removing
Virtualized Network Functions service chains.

15
 NFV architecture : Functional blocs
▪ NFV Architectural framework has four major functional blocks.
▪ the orchestrator,
▪ VNF manager,
▪ virtualization layer and
▪ virtualized infrastructure
manager.

16
NFV architecture : Functional blocs (..)

▪ The orchestrator is responsible for the management and orchestration of software

resources and the virtualized hardware infrastructure to realize networking
services.
▪ The VNF manager is in charge of the instantiation, scaling, termination and update
events during the lifecycle of a VNF.
▪ The virtualization layer abstracts the physical resources and anchors the VNFs to
the virtualized infrastructure.
▪ The virtualized infrastructure manager is used to virtualize and manage the
configurable compute, network and storage resources and control their interaction
with VNFs.
17
Sec 3: Relation between NFV & SDN

18
Appearance

▪ Concept of NFV originated from SDN

▪ First ETSI white paper showed overlapping Venn diagram
▪ It was removed in the second version of the white paper

▪ NFV and SDN are complementary: One does not depend upon the other.
▪ You can do SDN only, NFV only, or SDN and NFV.

▪ Both have similar goals but approaches are very different.

▪ SDN needs new interfaces, control modules, applications.
▪ NFV requires moving network applications from dedicated hardware to virtual
containers on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware
19
SDN vs NFV

▪ While SDN is typically thought of as managing and automating tasks for

physical devices, NFV is all about provisioning new networking devices.
▪ SDN may then be used to manage the new virtual as well as the existing
physical devices.

20
SDN vs NFV (..)

▪ SDN traditionally manages physical network equipment

▪ NFV deploy virtual network equipment
▪ SDN can (broadly) manage both physical and virtual equipment

21
22