This section describes how to design, develop, and deliver submit a Virtual Network Function , which is a Network Virtual Network Function (VNF) Onboarding in OpenECOMPfor use as a Network Resource in the OpenECOMP environment.
Additionally, this page includes an outline of service provider actions to design a Service containing a VNF, and to deploy the Service.
The primary audiences for this documentation are
- VNF providers: creators of VNFs (executables and related configuration files)
- Acceptance personnel: thse tasked with Validating, Certifying, and Onboarding certifying VNFs (making approving them available to run in an OpenECOMP instanceenvironments)
Other audiences who may refer to these documents include:
- Service Designers: those who combine Virtual Functions (including VNFs) into Services in OpenECOMP
- OpenECOMP OperatorsDevOps: those who deploy, operate, and monitor OpenECOMP Services containing VNFs
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Figure 1. VNF complete life cycle stages
Reference Documents
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for VNF Providers
There are four reference documents for VNF Providers, summarized here.
<<DocRef: VNF Guidelines for Network Cloud and OpenECOMP>><<DocRef: OpenECOMP Requirements and Guidelines for Virtual Network Functions in a Network Cloud>>
- identifies audiences interested in VNFs
- describes the VNF environment
- gives an overview of requirements
- points out differences between OpenECOMP VNFs and ETSI VNFs
<<DocRef: Common Requirements for Virtual Network Functions>>
- general Requirements for all VNFs (e.g., Security, Resiliency, Operations, Design)
<<DocRef: OpenECOMP Requirements for Virtual Network Functions>>
- requirements for how VNFs interact with and use OpenECOMP
<<DocRef: Heat Template Requirements for Virtual Network Functions>>
- provides recommendations and standards for building Heat templates compatible with OpenECOMP
Currently, these guidelines are intended for network clouds based on OpenStack. Future versions are envisioned to include other targeted virtualization environments, such as Customer Premises or other single-tenant small scale cloud implementations.
Overview of VNF Requirements
VNFs must meet requirements that fall into the categories of packaging, configuration, run-time monitoring and management, and licensing.
Packaging
The specification states that "Initially this information may be provided in documents, but in the near future a method will be developed to automate as much of the transfer of data as possible...".
Configuration
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VNF Cloud Readiness Requirements for OpenECOMP (formerly: "Common Requirements...">>
- general requirements for all VNFs
- requirements imposed by the targeted network cloud infrastructure, including the hypervisor
- resiliency requirements
- security requirements
<<DocRef: VNF Management Requirements for OpenECOMP>>
- design requirements: identification of VNF and its components
- configuration management requirements
- a VNF must provide a Device YANG model
- a VNF must implement a NETCONF server; the required NETCONF API's are referenced, and the supplier must demonstrate mounting the NETCONF server on OpenDaylight
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- monitoring and operations requirements
- format of messages (event records)
- frequency of reporting
- security
- licensing requirements
<<DocRef: VNF Heat Template Requirements for OpenECOMP>>
- provides recommendations and standards for building Heat templates compatible with OpenECOMP
Run-Time Monitoring and Management
A VNF must provide event records as specified in the documentation. These event records describe a change of state or other loggable event.
Licensing
VNFs must conform to certain licensing restrictions, such as providing a universal license key, providing metrics (such as the number of subscribers), and not depending on a license server.
The VNF API: Functions That a VNF Must or May Implement <<TODO: in progress>>
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OpenECOMP Common Functions that VNFs May Invoke
See Common Services.
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<<TODO: is there a list of all possible VNF attributes? Is it already contained in the Requirements documents above?>>
Example VNFs Included with OpenECOMP
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The Demos page describes how these functions operate.
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Designing a Service Using a VNF
The forthcoming <<DocRef: User Guide>>, in its "Design" section, will explain how to add any Virtual Function (including a Virtual Network Function) to the OpenECOMP environment. Here is an outline of the steps involved:
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Pre-onboarding
- Create a tenant
- Validate VFs
- Generate manifest and package artifacts
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- Import a policy attribute dictionary [optional]
- Edit a policy attribute dictionary [optional]
- Add a scope
- Assign a scope to a user
- Create a policy
- Push a policy
Using VNFs
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Deploying a VNF
The Demos page exhibits the activation of Services containing VNFs.
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