A Deep Dive into VNF Lifecycle Management

Introduction to VNF Lifecycle Management

Virtualized Network Function (VNF) lifecycle management is a key process in the ETSI NFV architecture. It is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a VNF, from its initial onboarding to its final termination.

This article will provide a technical deep dive into VNF lifecycle management, exploring the different stages of the VNF lifecycle, the key components involved in VNF lifecycle management, and the challenges that need to be addressed.

The VNF Lifecycle

The VNF lifecycle can be divided into a number of different stages:

Onboarding: This is the process of bringing a new VNF into the NFV environment. It involves things like validating the VNF package, uploading the VNF to the VNF catalog, and creating a VNF descriptor.
Instantiation: This is the process of creating a new instance of a VNF. It involves things like allocating resources to the VNF, deploying the VNF on the NFVI, and configuring the VNF.
Scaling: This is the process of increasing or decreasing the capacity of a VNF. It can be done by scaling out the VNF (adding more instances) or by scaling up the VNF (adding more resources to an existing instance).
Healing: This is the process of recovering a VNF from a failure. It can be done by restarting the VNF, by migrating the VNF to a different host, or by creating a new instance of the VNF.
Updating: This is the process of updating a VNF to a new version. It can be done by performing an in-place update of the VNF or by creating a new instance of the VNF and then migrating the traffic to the new instance.
Termination: This is the process of terminating a VNF. It involves things like releasing the resources that were allocated to the VNF and deleting the VNF from the NFVI.

Key Components of VNF Lifecycle Management

The VNF lifecycle is managed by two key components in the ETSI NFV architecture:

NFV Orchestrator (NFVO): The NFVO is responsible for the overall orchestration of the VNF lifecycle. It is responsible for things like onboarding the VNF, instantiating the VNF, and terminating the VNF.
VNF Manager (VNFM): The VNFM is responsible for the lifecycle management of the individual VNFs. It is responsible for things like scaling the VNF, healing the VNF, and updating the VNF.

The NFVO and the VNFM communicate with each other over the Vn-Nfvo reference point.

VNF Descriptors

VNF descriptors are a key part of VNF lifecycle management. They are used to describe the VNF and its requirements. The VNF descriptor is a template that is used by the NFVO and the VNFM to manage the VNF.

The VNF descriptor contains a wide range of information about the VNF, such as:

The VNF provider: The name of the company that created the VNF.
The VNF version: The version of the VNF.
The VNF software image: The location of the VNF software image.
The VNF’s resource requirements: The amount of CPU, memory, and storage that the VNF requires.
The VNF’s connectivity requirements: The number of network interfaces that the VNF requires and the networks that they should be connected to.

Challenges of VNF Lifecycle Management

There are a number of challenges that need to be addressed in VNF lifecycle management, including:

Interoperability: There is a need for interoperability between the different components of the NFV architecture. This is especially true for the interfaces between the NFVO, the VNFM, and the VIM.
Complexity: The VNF lifecycle is a complex process. There is a need for tools and automation to help to manage this complexity.
Security: There is a need to ensure the security of the VNF lifecycle. This includes things like securing the VNF package, securing the communication between the different components of the NFV architecture, and securing the VNF itself.

Conclusion

VNF lifecycle management is a key process in the ETSI NFV architecture. It is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a VNF, from its initial onboarding to its final termination. The VNF lifecycle is managed by the NFVO and the VNFM, and it is described by the VNF descriptor. There are a number of challenges that need to be addressed in VNF lifecycle management, but the benefits of NFV are clear. As NFV continues to gain traction in the networking industry, the importance of VNF lifecycle management will only continue to grow.