With all the talk about virtual network functions (VNFs) in the ETSI Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) group and now in the Nephio project (see my blogs HERE and HERE), it occurs to me that we’ve not really talked much about VNFs themselves. In particular, we’ve not talked about the fact that there are multiple VNF…
In my blog last week on the Linux Foundation’s open-source function virtualization project (Nephio), I noted that two things that the project didn’t have. One was service-layer modeling and deployment and the other was a platform-as-a-service API set to define how network functions would be written. Today, I want to explain why I think the…
Finally, a decade after the concept of NFV was first introduced, we may be on track to creating a useful implementation of function hosting. The Linux Foundation and Google Cloud announced Nephio, a project that would create an open-source framework for cloud-compatible function hosting and operations automation. It could realize the goals of the “Call…
Google has been one of the great innovators, even though a lot of what they do isn’t appreciated or even known. They launched Kubernetes and Anthos for cloud hosting, their Andromeda SDN network is probably the largest SDN deployment on the planet, and they also launched the Istio service mesh. Now they want to transform…
In a blog I did last month, I talked about three feature categories that could represent reasonable targets for operators interested in promoting higher-level service partnerships. Recall that AT&T indicated this was one of their strategies for improving their bottom line. Since then, I’ve gotten a lot of comment from operators, vendors, and enterprises, and…
With Tesla about to release its humanoid robot, we’re going to see more talk about the dangers of machines taking over. Do we actually face the risk of having AI get smart enough to become truly sentient, and deciding that its creators are an impediment to its future? I think we’re safe from that in…
Juniper is getting serious about silicon photonics. The company already had hundreds of patents in the area, and a clear interest in making itself a presence in the space. Now, they’ve formed a separate company with Synopsys, which will contain Juniper’s silicon photonics technology and leverage it across a wide range of applications. Networking is…
The notion of open-model networks often involves the concept of feature/function hosting, a concept that was introduced a decade ago with the “Call for Action” paper that turned into the NFV ISG. Today, I think that most network professionals agree that the ISG didn’t get the details right but changed the industry by raising the…
One interesting point of agreement across both the network operator and enterprise communities is that “There’s open, and then there’s open.” The meaning of this should be clear; not everything that’s touted as “open” is equivalently open. Given that both operators and enterprises say that “openness” is in at least the top two of their…
You can learn an amazing range of things from government data, particularly if you push it through a model. I’ve been slogging through that process for decades now, but for the last 6 months I’ve been focusing on the question of just what vertical markets are doing with IT and networking. The raw government data…