The OPNFV Project, an open source project for NFV, has released OPNFV Euphrates, the fifth version of its platform that includes Kubernetes container orchestration integration for the first time.
In addition, OPNFV Euphrates also has the the ability to deploy containerized OpenStack via the Kolla project, which provides production-ready containers and deployment tools for operating OpenStack clouds that are scalable, fast, reliable, and upgradable using community best practices.
The release also includes enhanced cross-community continuous integration (XCI) and new carrier-grade features such as increased visibility into complex virtualized networks. This is enabled via Euphrates’ platform of pre-tested, tuned, interoperable, open source NFV components that facilitate multiple use cases such as VNF onboarding, network service testing, data plane acceleration, NFVI/VIM validation, MANO qualification, test automation and creation of DevOps methodologies and operational best practices.
Other key enhancements available in OPNFV Euphrates include:
New carrier-grade features - With the integration of the new Calipso project, operators now have operational visibility into their complex virtual networks. When combined with telemetry enhancements in existing Barometer and Doctor projects, users have access to a powerful service assurance framework. Euphrates also includes performance improvements on the Arm architecture, and in Layer 3 performance with FD.io.
Moreover, Euphrates brings new security and user management capabilities with Moon, continued improvement in Service Function Chaining (SFC), FD.io, and new EVPN features. Euphrates also integrates the OVN network virtualization project along with the most recent versions of other upstream projects to provide additional choice in networking control options.
Enhanced testing and integration - The OPNFV integration and testing effort has made significant progress in providing an extensive set of tools to test the NFV cloud, VNFs, and complete network services. New projects - including Sample VNF, which provides testing of the VIM/NFVI layer with applications approximating real-life application workloads; and NFVBench, which provides an end-to-end dataplane benchmarking framework—have been introduced. Additionally, existing test projects have continued to evolve with new features, capabilities, and test cases.
Looking ahead, the OPNFV Fraser Release is scheduled for spring 2018. Evolutions on the horizon include continuing to evolve MANO capabilities through ONAP integration, and a focus on analytics with PNDA.io analytics framework integration.
Heather Kirksey, Director, OPNFV
With this initial integration of Kubernetes with the existing stack of open source network components, Euphrates enables NFV to make significant advances in the journey towards cloud native.
Tapio Tallgren, Chair of Technical Steering Committee (TSC), OPNFV, and Lead Software Architect, Nokia's Mobile Architecture Unit
Iterative updates and improvements in areas such as MANO integration and service assurance, security, testing, and performance are part and parcel to bigger architectural changes that introduce Kubernetes as a VIM to orchestrate containerized VNFs.
