VNF onboarding

IBM® Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration includes several tools and the CI/CD Hub reference environment for the development of new VNF and Network Services.

The tools that are used to develop VNF and Network Services are:
  • IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration with Resource Manager setup (as well as the deployment locations)
    • CI/CD Hub provides you means to create your personal development environment (All-In-One IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration deployment and lmctl command line tools)
  • LMCTL provided with IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration is a tool to deploy VNF and Network Services artefacts to target environments
A user develops new VNFs in their personal development environment. LMCTL tools can be then used to export and import VNFs artefacts between other IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration environments.

Anatomy of a VNF

A VNF, or Virtual Network Function, provides a single function within a Network Service. A VNF consists of one or more VNFCs (Virtual Network Function Component).

A top-down overview of a VNF is:
  • A Network Service (defined via an Assembly Descriptor) is made up of one or more VNFs
  • A VNF (also defined via an Assembly Descriptor) is made up of one or more VNFCs
  • A VNFC (defined via a Resource Descriptor) is made up of:
    • Lifecycle Ansible scripts
    • One or more VDUs (Virtual Deployment Unit) - Each VDU will be tied to a specific infrastructure type.
Starting from the bottom up, these are the components and their definitions:
VDU
A VDU is the package or script that can create an image for specific virtual infrastructure.
VNFC
This is the VNF component as a standalone network function that is managed by a Resource manager. In IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration this is also called a Resource.
  • VDU or multiple VDUs
  • Descriptor (Resource) is a yaml file that describes the interface for a VNFC. Contains properties and other details to describe the interface for the item.
  • Lifecycle scripts. Scripts that map the standard lifecycle actions as start, stop, install, configure, stop to the VDU specific instructions.
VNF
Provides a single function within a Network Service.
  • VNFC. A VNF can consist of multiple VNFCs
  • VNF Descriptor. An assembly.yaml file that describes the interface for a VNF. Contains properties and other details to describe the interface for the VNF. Implemented within IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager - Orchestration by an assembly.
  • VNFC. One or more VNFCs
  • Service Behavior Test scenarios (if any)