It is not easy to settle the debate for DPDK vs SR-IOV-the technologies used to optimize packet processing in NFV servers.

For one, you will find supporters on both sides with their claims and arguments.

However although both are used to increase the packet processing performance in servers, the decision on which one is better comes down to design rather than the technologies themselves.

So a wrong decision on DPDK vs SR-IOV can really impact the throughput performance as you will see towards the conclusion of the article.

Feeling confused about the role of  SDN in NFV? You are not alone!..

Many get stuck in understanding the role of SDN in NFV. Still, others want to know what is SDN ? And Others simply are not clear about the use cases for SDN in NFV.

Do you know that without the right SDN architecture,  you will end up with rigid, inelastic and not-scalable NFV?

But, don’t worry! (more…)

Having knowledge about NFV without understanding how Network Services/ VNF Forwarding Graphs are created, is like owning a car without knowing how to drive it.

“Network Service” (NS) holds importance in NFV as in the majority of cases, VNFs connect with one another to create services instead of working alone. Also, VNFs connect to create “VNF Forwarding Graphs”( VNF-FG).

So what is the difference between NS and VNF-FG? (more…)

Think about NFV! Think about x86 processor ….Both of them are inseparable. Isn’t it?

No matter how simple a processor (compute part) sounds, I bet a lot of people don’t know that the compute domain in NFV is not just the compute processor of the node…Actually it is much more.

The fact is that the “Compute Domain” and the “Compute Node” in NFV does not mean one and the same thing by ETSI definitions. Know it and you will avoid a lot of confusion understanding the NFV basic architecture and avoid misunderstanding while communicating with a vendor/customer on this subject (more…)

SD-WAN is designed for the worst medium.

We depend on the internet and broadband for out WAN . And you know that quality on the internet is not guaranteed.

However, SD-WAN vendors have found some solution: (more…)

NETCONF/YANG vs TOSCA for NFV service orchestration is more of an academic discussion rather than a practical one.

To many, there is a misunderstanding on the exact place where TOSCA should be used vs NETCONF/YANG.

Trying to use one tool to do the other’s  job is like fitting a square peg in round hole.

Remove one of them and you have removed all the flexibility of working with NFV in the NETWORKING environment.

And if you are a network engineer dealing with the routers, it is very important to understand the role of the two in order to avoid confusion working with multiple orchestration tools. Also understanding them may help you decide which skills to focus in  future. (more…)

Thinking of implementing SDN in your MPLS  WAN ? without a forklift ?

Look no further ! as BGP-LS ( BGP-Link State) and PCE ( Path computation Element) give a right combination.

In this Blog, I talk about an evolutionary ( not the revolutionary approach) to SDN in WAN.

SDN-based MPLS network, running PCE and BGP-LS offers considerable flexibility, visibility, and control.

It’s like running MPLS on steroids. (more…)

The emerging Docker containers have potential to revolutionalize NFV.

After all, they are lightweight compared to virtual machines; they need less overhead and resources; and, they can provide application isolation running in the same operating system, they live in.

That means,  if a Virtual Network function (VNF) in NFV can run in a Docker container with complete isolation, you may not need a virtual machine.

But, is it that easy? (more…)