T-NOVA: Network functions as-a-service over virtualised infrastructures

Abstract

The EU funded FP7 project T-NOVA, with the specific goal of accelerating the evolution of NFV, proposes an open architecture to provide Virtual Network Functions as a Service (VNFaaS), together with a dynamic, and flexible platform for the management of Network Services (NSs) composed by those Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). The proposed architecture allows operators to deploy distinct virtualized network functions, not only for their internal operational needs, but also to offer them to their customers, as value-added services. Virtual network appliances (e.g. gateways, proxies or even traffic analyzers) can be provided on-demand, eliminating the need to acquire, install, and maintain specialized hardware at customer premises. This demo illustrates work carried out on the deployment of a VNF on a Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI) using resource aware scheduling methods to ensure optimal use of resources and performance while we focus also on business-related and customer front-end aspects, i.e. how the stakeholders interact with the services, which T-NOVA identifies as the marketplace layer.