F5 Networks announced several new solutions and enhancements designed to allow service providers to launch 5G services.
F5 announced an expansion of its NFV packaged solutions with a new Carrier Grade NAT (CGNAT) standalone package. The new packaged solution, which includes the F5 VNF Manager, will offer a broad set of tools that enable service providers to successfully migrate to IPv6 while continuing to support and interoperate with existing IPv4 devices and content, simplifying network planning, sizing, and purchasing. The CGNAT VNF package will be available in the first half of calendar year 2019.
F5’s NFV offerings will also see new performance enhancements through Intel Quick Assist Technology (Intel QAT), a feature of the Intel Xeon® Scalable processor. BIG-IP Virtual Edition support of Intel QAT for SSL/TLS acceleration and offload will provide up to four times the performance of encryption done in software, freeing up the CPU to perform other application delivery tasks including L7 inspection, policy enforcement, and programmability.
Higher performance and increased throughput will also be enabled with BIG-IP Virtual Edition support of the Mellanox ConnectX family of network interface adapters, including 100G. Working together, F5 and Mellanox solutions can boost data plane performance to near line rate using optimized drivers that reduce the overhead associated with processing packets. Mellanox network adapters will significantly improve the performance of the entire portfolio of F5 VNF solutions.
SP Essentials – F5 is announcing a new package of technical support and maintenance services designed specifically and available exclusively for service providers. SP Essentials will enable service providers to get the most from their F5 products with services that assist them with adoption and world-class technical support.
F5 Automation Toolchain provides for programmatic deployment, configuration, and management of F5 devices and the services they support. NEBS Compliance – F5 is now providing a NEBS level 3 compliant solution for the i15000 ultra high-performance appliance series.
James Feger, VP and GM, Service Provider, F5
We’re delivering virtualization solutions and custom services that help them maximize the substantial investments in their current 4G networks now, while optimizing their infrastructure to enable the scale required to deploy the 5G networks tomorrow.
Amit Krig, SVP, Network Adapter Group, Mellanox
ConnectX was developed to meet these needs both now and in the future. With multiple times the performance packed into the same infrastructure footprint, service providers working with F5 and Mellanox can maximize the return on their 5G network build-out and quickly reap the benefits of new 5G services.
