This page section describes how to design, develop, and integrate deliver a Virtual Network Function, which is a Network Virtual Network Function (VNF) Onboarding in OpenECOMP.
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 VNFs (making them available in an OpenECOMP instance)
Other audiences who may refer to these documents include:
- Service Designers: those who combine Virtual Functions (including VNFs) into Services in OpenECOMP
- OpenECOMP Operators: those who deploy, operate, and monitor OpenECOMP Services containing VNFs
There are three stages in the life cycle of a VNF, as shown here:
Figure 1 VNF Complete Life Cycle Stages
Reference Documents
| Open ECOMP Requirements and Guidelines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <<DocRef: OpenECOMP Requirements and Guidelines for Virtual Network Functions in a Network Cloud>> | Future Requirements Documents | |||
| <<DocRef: Common Requirements for Virtual Network Functions> | <<DocRef: OpenECOMP Requirements for Virtual Network Functions>> | <<DocRef: Example Implementation of Network Cloud>> | <<DocRef: Heat Template Requirements for Virtual Network Functions>> | |
Requirements and Guidelines for Virtual Network Functions in a Network Cloud
In the specificationsIn this specification, the terms must, must not, should, should not, and may have specific meanings defined defined here.
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The following document describes, in general terms, the requirements for VNFs. It also provides background material: the motivation for VNFs, and the various audiences interested in VNFs. In addition, it points out, in general terms, the differences between OpenECOMP VNFs and ETSI VNFs.
This first release of the guidelines and requirements, although applicable in many implementations, is targeted for those implementations that consist of a network clouds based on OpenStack. Future versions of these guidelines are envisioned to include other targeted virtualization environments, such as Customer Premises or other single-tenant small scale cloud implementations.
<<DocRef: "OpenECOMP Requirements and Guidelines for Virtual Network Functions in a Network Cloud">>
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VNF
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VNF RequirementsRequirements <<TODO: in progress>>
VNFs must meet requirements that fall into the categories of packaging, configuration, run-time monitoring and management, and licensing. Also VNF , VNFs must communicate using event records (indicating a change of state , or loggable event, for example).
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Finally, VNFs must conform to certain licensing restrictions, such as providing a universal license key, providing metrics (such as the number of subscribers), an and not depending on a license server.
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The VNF API: Functions That a VNF Must or May Implement <<TODO: in progress>>
<<TODO: This might be a pointer to NETCONF or ETSI specs, along with other OpenECOMP APIs. The Requirements documents above don't enumerate all functions in the API, but they might contain enough references to other documents to comprise the full description of functions that VNFs must implement. >>
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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:
<<TODO: fill out these sections, or reconsider>>
Pre-onboarding
- Create a tenant
- Validate VFs
- Generate manifest and package artifacts
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