Software-Based Networks: Leveraging High-Performance NFV Platforms to Meet Future Communication Challenges
Kadangode K. Ramakrishnan · 2016
Summary form only given. Communication networks are changing: they are becoming more and more "software-based." The use of network function virtualization (NFV) to run network services in software enables software-defined networks (SDNs) to create a largely software-based network. To truly achieve the vision of a high-performance software-based network that is flexible, lower- cost, and agile, a fast and carefully designed network function virtualization platform along with a comprehensive SDN control plane is needed.Our high-performance NFV platform, OpenNetVM, enables high bandwidth network functions to operate at near line speed, while taking advantage of the flexibility and customization of low cost commodity servers. OpenNetVM exploits Intel's DPDK libraries to minimize the overhead of packet processing, and to provide high throughput, low latency networking in virtualized environments. OpenNetVM allows true zero-copy delivery of data to VMs, both for packet processing and high-speed inter-VM communication through shared huge pages within a trust boundary. We envision a dynamic and flexible network that can support a smarter data plane than just simple switches that forward packets. We build on our OpenNetVM NFV platform by developing our SDNFV network architecture that supports complex stateful routing of flows where processing by network functions (NFs) can dynamically modify the path taken by flows, without unduly burdening the centralized SDN controller. The tutorial will also briefly touch upon the problem of dynamic placement of network functions and routing of flows through a software based network, exploiting a mixture of centralized SDN control and NFV capabilities in the network. The problem can be formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem, and heuristics can be used to solve the problem incrementally.As a case study, we examine the growing communication needs of 'Internet-of-Things' (IoT). With 'smart' sensing devices becoming ubiquitous, there is a need to support IoT communication at large scale, especially over cellular networks. The use of NFV platforms for the Evolved Packet Core, we see opportunities for supporting IoT communications at large scale in 5G cellular networks. We describe potential solutions in this direction.