What is NFV?
In a world where there are just not enough acronyms, it's good to know there are going to be a few more to learn in the coming years. Today, we cover NFV, VNF, and ECOMP to name a few. And just as the acronym seeks to simplify the name, the underlying technologies they represent seek to simplify WAN deployment and management.
What exactly is Network Function(s) Virtualization (NFV)? First of all, it is a relatively new concept. The term was coined publicly in October 2012 in a whitepaper that was the output of members of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). A number of different organizations began working together to bring the same consolidation and ease of use to the network devices that VMware and others had brought to the server world. In order to do this, the group was looking to virtualize common network functions into virtual machines and place them in commodity servers with centralized provisioning and management. They envisioned this working hand-in-hand with many of the software-defined initiatives that were underway. These virtual instances are called virtual network functions (VNF).
In the initial whitepaper, they list a number of potential benefits including:
- Reduced equipment costs
- Reduced power consumption
- Quicker time to market
- Multi-tenancy across the same hardware
- Increased innovation through software versus hardware development
There were some challenges, as well. First of all, how could the provider manage all of these virtual instances? What would become of the advantages of hardware-based features like accelerator cards? The aim of the group was to address these challenges and create solutions that would result in the possible benefits.
One potential challenge received two paragraphs of attention in the whitepaper- the impact on the vendors as proprietary hardware is replaced with software solutions. Interestingly enough, the whitepaper stated that this wouldn't be as big of a hurdle as it might seem and many providers were already making the move to decouple software from proprietary hardware.
NFV Today
Fast forward four years and the vision of this initial ETSI group is taking shape as reality here in North America. AT&T is committed to NFV as a large part of their network infrastructure. In fact, AT&T has announced they want to virtualize 75% of the network by 2020.¹ They are addressing the management capabilities by standardizing on a new management platform called Enhanced Control, Orchestration, Management and Policy (ECOMP). The details of ECOMP will be explored more in a future post. The offering is no longer just an idea. It has become a product known as FlexWare.
The potential issue of traditional hardware providers voicing opposition to NFV has been replaced with vendors like Cisco working together with the service providers. Cisco has indicated a desire to become more of a software company so selling their software on commodity servers allows them to focus on software development instead of hardware.² The Cisco Cloud Services Router is a fully functional Cisco router than can run on a number of virtualization platforms including ESXi, Hyper-V, and KVM. The support for KVM allows the CSR to be offered on the FlexWare platform from AT&T.
Other carriers like Verizon are also announcing initiatives around NFV. CenturyLink and Sprint weren't far behind in announcing exploration and future adoption of similar technologies. Each of these providers has been laying the groundwork for years by converting to an all IP core and by building Ethernet out to as many locations as possible. Now these carriers can simply deploy a 1U device pre-provisioned with a hypervisor to the customer location, connect an Ethernet connection, and begin provisioning services. In the future, services provisioning will be automated from the provider portal so new services can be launched on the device without provider intervention. Following the model of cloud providers, these services will become on-demand and bandwidth can be scaled up and down, as needed.
The Future of NFV
In NFV, the provider can more quickly deploy services which allows them to bill more quickly. They can manage the environment more easily through centralized tools. They can enable on-demand services that the customer can deploy. And they can do all of this using a common core of equipment. One of the major potential obstacles was support from many of the major hardware vendors which are now on-board. Why wouldn't the providers embrace this? They will and they are just like the did with the migration of frame relay to MPLS and PRI to SIP.
If this move seems inevitable, what could slow it down? One obstacle is support for non-Ethernet services in the NFV hardware appliance. Despite the prevalence of fiber connectivity, more than 50% of buildings are still not connected.³ For those buildings, it could be necessary to connect a T1, DS-3, or other non-Ethernet option which is not currently supported by the NFV appliances. Adding a device in the path to convert to Ethernet removes many of the benefits outlined including simplified management and monitoring. Adding PCI interfaces supporting non-Ethernet won't address the challenge since the virtualization requirements aren't supported in non-Ethernet connections.
Another roadblock could be the customer and their desire to maintain physical hardware appliances. Many customers have made significant hardware investments in routers and firewalls to meet a performance or security requirement. These customers are not likely to make the move to the virtualized platform and give up this hardware until it reaches end of life.
In order to address these concerns, providers will continue to deploy fiber to deliver Ethernet. They are also lowering the prices of these services well below the cost of the circuit with leased hardware making it attractive for customers. It remains to be seen if the providers will ultimately require customers to move to this service but with major hardware providers adopting software-centric models and all of the operational benefits, it is a certainty they will be providing incentives to make the transition.
To find out more about how NFV might impact your business and how you can plan for it, contact us today.
References
- http://about.att.com/innovationblog/author/johndonovan
- http://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/video/300081021/cisco-ceo-weve-begun-journey-to-morph-into-software-company.htm
- http://www.verticalsystems.com/vsgpr/2015-u-s-business-fiber-penetration-reaches-46-2/
- https://portal.etsi.org/nfv/nfv_white_paper.pdf
