Re: [vnfpool] Overlap with SFC?

[Zongning <[e-mail]>]

Hi, Dan and Melinda,

Thanks for your reply.

Both of you are right in that our proposal here is narrowly focused on redundancy mechanism for VNF. This goal is basically complementary to SFC charter. Another point I want to add is that vnfpool is not only used in "chained service nodes", but applicable to other cases where service nodes are not necessarily sequentially connected.

-Ning

> -----Original Message-----
> From: vnfpool [mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of King, Daniel
> Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 3:24 AM
> To: Melinda Shore; [e-mail]
> Cc: [e-mail]
> Subject: Re: [vnfpool] Overlap with SFC?
> 
> Hi Again,
> 
> Thanks Melinda, you are far more succinct than I have been. However, seeing
> as we may have some additional interest in the vnfpool work, it may be worth
> summarizing our problem space and some of our discussion thus far for anyone
> peeking at the list for the first time:
> 
> A Virtualized Network Function (VNF) (e.g. vBRAS vFirewall, vLoadbalancer)
> provides the equivalent function as a dedicated hardware platform. These VNF
> instances are typically instantiated in clusters running on general purpose
> servers via a variety of virtualization platforms. As per discussions within the
> SFC Working Group (WG), a user/network service is typically realized by a chain
> of VNFs (also known as a VNF Forwarding Graph -VNFG)  to deliver function in
> a deterministic sequence. Whereas SFC WG is tasked with investigating and
> documenting SFC architecture, and  SFC protocol mechanisms (new or
> extensions to existing solutions) in order to encapsulate and steer traffic, and
> convey SFC and Service Function Path (SFP) information to function nodes, both
> virtual and physical.
> 
> The vnfpool list was initiated to investigate the resilience requirements and
> solutions  for virtual network functions, running as single, or pools (sets) of
> VNFs. So clearly some of the vnfpool work may be complimentary to the SFC
> WG, but I think the majority of work will be in parallel to the SFC WG. Initially
> this list has scoped the vnfpool work into a problem statement, use cases,
> architecture and signalling to deploy and manage VNF pool resilience (reliability,
> redundancy, availability, failover), these discussions have included:
> 
> - Signalling between VNF pools for transition (e.g. state change, scaling, moving)
> management, notification, backup, performance monitoring and
> announcements;
> 
> - Service state management (e.g. synchronizing method, state data format,
> location and mechanism to access state data);
> 
> - Obtaining underlying network information (e.g., this is where we expect
> cooperation with existing working groups - ALTO, I2RS);
> 
> - Mechanisms for instance deployment reflecting resilience requirements (e.g.
> distribution of instances across different VMs or hypervisors);
> 
> - Explore and document requirements for reliable transport of traffic and
> security mechanisms between VNF pools, and reliable and secure control of
> VNF pools.
> 
> We have established that for some use cases (Virtualisation of Mobile Core
> Network and IMS (vEPC & vIMS), Virtualisation of the Home Environment
> (vHome), Virtualisation of Content Distribution Network (vCDN)) there will also
> be specific resilience requirements, when relevant to the SFC WG, i.e., traffic
> steering between (virtual) network function nodes, these application specific
> requirements may require co-operation (via requirements or problem
> statement I-Ds between vnfpool and SFC WG).
> 
> Br, Dan.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vnfpool [mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of Melinda Shore
> Sent: 21 January 2014 18:39
> To: [e-mail]
> Cc: [e-mail]
> Subject: Re: [vnfpool] Overlap with SFC?
> 
> Hi, Adrian:
> 
> The vnfpool proposal is quite narrowly focused on redundancy mechanisms for
> virtualized network functions.
> 
> Melinda
> 
> 
> --
> Melinda Shore
> No Mountain Software
> [e-mail]
> 
> "Software longa, hardware brevis."
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