Network Functions Virtualization and SDN
Priyanka Kujur, Sanjeev Patel · 2022
Over the past few decades, computer networks have shown tremendous growth. The whole world relies on computer networks and technologies associated with them. The Internet has been a fast-growing technology. Today, all the aspects of our lives are done virtually. We work virtually, shop virtually, and educate virtually almost all our computing may be done virtually. The core technology behind it is the Internet and various computer networking technologies, which make it possible. Network virtualization itself has become a broad set of technologies for making it one of the most attractive topics in many academic communities. It offers commercial solutions to many industries through various business sectors. Virtualization also reduces storage space and electric power. Virtualization also provides simplified management because managing separate devices are not required. This chapter emphasizes on the following topics viz., working of different types of virtualizations, network functions virtualization (NFV), its benefit, and demerits. The architecture of NFV has been presented by introducing the network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), virtual network functions (VNF), and NFV management and orchestration (M&O). Further, the works of the flow table, SDN applications, and research challenges for implementation of NFV are highlighted. Many SDN applications viz., adaptive routing, load balancing, and network maintenance have been depicted in this chapter. In addition to this, how SDN could be applied for cloud computing and IoT are also presented.