Challenges for the success of SDN and NFV (from a …nv/nvs2013/nvs3-is1-schneider.pdf · 2013-09-09 · Challenges for the success of SDN and NFV (from a standardization perspective)

Challenges for the success of SDN and NFV (from a standardization perspective)

Dr. Fabian Schneider Senior Researcher, NEC Laboratories Europe

Vice-chair of the ONF Architecture WG

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this presentation are my own not those of NEC or ONF.

Quick answers to Aki’s Questions:

▌What are your latest research activities in programmable networks, such as SDN, NFV, and Deeply Programmable Network (DPN).� Enabling ICN with SDN, and improve ICN with SDN principles� Assessing the relevance of old and new network performance limitations� Discussing SDN architecture in- and outside the ONF

▌What do you think is coming next after SDN and NFV? Any extension possible to these areas of research?� Still plenty left in SDN/NFV: How to combine both? What is the right

level of abstraction for control? NBI Framework?� Next up: PiF, PaF, PoF!

▌How can we educate young folks for creating innovations in computing and networking research?� Encourage to think outside the box of existing networks� And know your customers! E.g. Operators move and decide slow

Page 2 © NEC Corporation 2013

WHERE ARE WE NOW?


OpenFlow protocols & SDN

▌SDN is much more than just OpenFlow

▌Whole eco-system:�SDN Apps�Network OS�Network Elements� Interfaces in between


Control Plane

Data Plane

Applications

AP

I

Network Operating System

AP

I

AP

I

Switch/Network Element

AP

I

SDN

OpenFlow in a Nutshell

▌The OpenFlow protocol provides a standardized protocol to separate control/ management plane from data plane

▌Rules (Match/Action tuples)

▌Support for quick & dynamic networkconfiguration

▌OF 1.0 – OF 1.3.2,OF-Config 1.1.1

NetworkApps

Custom Control Plane

Custom Silicon

Apps

Control Plane

CommonDataPlane


ONF & it’s current activities

▌ ONF owns OpenFlow spec standardization� Mission: Dedicated to the promotion and adoption of SDN for the

benefit of users

▌ ONF’s view on SDN:� Physical separation of forwarding and control� Simplification of networking devices

▌ONF’s activities:� Build out the OpenFlow substrate:

Optical, Wireless/Mobile, Security, OAM� Plug-fests and Conformance testing� Develop ONF’s SDN Architecture (incl. NBIs, Hooks for NFV, …)� How to migrate from legacy networks� Foster Chipset/HW Ecosystem


Peak into ONF’s SDN Architecture


Three Critical Properties of ONF’s SDN Architecture

▌Apps are network aware: SDN-enabled Apps� Communicate their requirements/polices to the network� Can monitor network state and adapt accordingly

▌Logically centralized network control: SDN Network Controller� Controller translates from app requirements to low-level rules� Controller summarizes the network state for apps

▌Well-understood driver-like model for devices: SDN Datapath� Programmatic low-level control of all forwarding and configuration� API for capabilities advertisement and publishing stats� No resource contention with other entities

• Controller “owns” this device, subject to capabilities advertisement• But can delegate control away if needed.


WHAT IS MISSING?


Standardized Northbound Interfaces (NBIs)

▌Not an easy task� Level of abstraction unclear

• Varies from OpenFlow+SwitchIDs (e.g. Trema, NOX/POX) • Via network programming languages (e.g. Frenetic) • Up to Neutron/Quantum level

� Scope unclear• One single NBI to rule them all• Or one per operation call

� Contradicting business interests

▌ONF’s approach� Start with what is needed today and what is not yet available� Standardize sets of functionality � Determine gaps in standardization/de-facto-standards space� Leave application specifics to other SDOs and focus on network specifics


Framework/Execution Environment for SDN Apps


Southbound Interfaces

SDN controller instance 1

Northbound Interfaces

App 1 App 2

App 4 App 5 App 6

Sam

e E

xecu

tion

Con

text

Migrate? Clone? Communicate?

Communicate Communicate with outside?

Communicate with other components?

Southbound Interfaces

SDN controller instance 1

Northbound Interfaces

App 1 App 2

Sam

e E

xecu

tion

Con

text

Locate/ Discover Controller

New contact

after migrate?

Forward data after migrate?

Local and/or remote Apps

Locate/ Discover NBI type

NFV: How to orchestrate VM and network control


SDN controller

Orchestration

networkcompute /storage

VM Mgmt

SDN controller

Orchestration


VM Mgmt

Need to explore pros and cons!

Complex Orchestration; Lots of info exchanged

OpenStack Model

VM Mgmt cannot use info from networking

SDN controller

Orchestration


VM Mgmt

Interfaces do not yet exist

NFV: Network service chaining

▌Network-wide labels approach (non-SDN based)� E.g. as proposed in drafts for IETF NSC� Problem: network functions need to be label aware→ Requires changes to the OS network stack of the NF

▌ Input traffic ≠ output traffic @ network function (header rewriting)� SDN based hop-by-hop service chaining

• Need to provision explicit rules per hop• SDN App needs to know details of NF’s (e.g. rewriting behavior)

� SDN based complete chain at once• SDN Controller needs to know details of NF’s (e.g. rewriting behavior) or a

interface for communicating that behavior

▌One chain requiring multiple passes through same network element� How differentiate the different stages in the chain?


How to carry various info from beginning of chain to NF in the middle?

PiF, PaF, PoF

▌Need more HW capable of Protocol independent/agnostic/oblivious Forwarding

▌What for? Why should we care?� Speed up deployment of new network architectures that do not aling

well with the current Internet architecture (i.e. TCP/IP)• e.g. Information Centric Networking (ICN), Locator/Identifier split (LISP), Delay

Tolerant Networking (DTN)

� Gives immediate access to match on everything in a packet:• L5-7 information• Thing not deemed important by SDOs, e.g. IPID in OpenFlow


WHAT IS IN THE PIPELINE?


In the ONF pipeline

▌NBI Study next version� Summarize existing NBIs and identify sets of common functionality� Gap analysis and prioritization of functions sets� App execution framework issues

▌NBI standards coming closer� Reluctance of some key players is decreasing� Open Source initiatives, e.g. OpenDaylight� Newly started NBI effort from vendors/providers/App dev’s

(maybe reference implementations)

▌Better structure for all the optional OF features

▌Forwarding Abstractions: � Support more than Ethernet/IP/TCP mainstream forwarding pipelines� Better negotiation of switch capabilities


Summary

▌SDN has come a long way …� OpenFlow widely deployed and accepted� Eco-system is growing� ONF defined Architecture and critical properties

▌… but challenges remain� Standardized Northbound Interfaces (NBIs)� Framework/Execution Environment for SDN Apps� NFV: How to orchestrate VM and network control� NFV: Network service chaining� PiF, PaF, PoF in hardware



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Challenges for the success of SDN and NFV (from a …nv/nvs2013/nvs3-is1-schneider.pdf · 2013-09-09 · Challenges for the success of SDN and NFV (from a standardization perspective)