<s>
Network	B-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
virtualization	I-Architecture
(	O
NFV	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
network	B-Architecture
architecture	I-Architecture
concept	O
that	O
leverages	O
the	O
IT	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
technologies	I-General_Concept
to	O
virtualize	B-General_Concept
entire	O
classes	O
of	O
network	B-Protocol
node	I-Protocol
functions	O
into	O
building	O
blocks	O
that	O
may	O
connect	O
,	O
or	O
chain	O
together	O
,	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
deliver	O
communication	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NFV	O
relies	O
upon	O
traditional	O
server-virtualization	O
techniques	O
such	O
as	O
those	O
used	O
in	O
enterprise	O
IT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
network	O
function	O
,	O
or	O
VNF	O
,	O
is	O
implemented	O
within	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machines	I-Architecture
or	O
containers	B-Application
running	O
different	O
software	O
and	O
processes	O
,	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
commercial	O
off	O
the	O
shelf	O
(	O
COTS	O
)	O
high-volume	O
servers	O
,	O
switches	O
and	O
storage	O
devices	O
,	O
or	O
even	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
infrastructure	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
having	O
custom	O
hardware	O
appliances	O
for	O
each	O
network	O
function	O
thereby	O
avoiding	O
vendor	O
lock-in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
virtual	O
session	B-Protocol
border	I-Protocol
controller	I-Protocol
could	O
be	O
deployed	O
to	O
protect	O
a	O
network	O
without	O
the	O
typical	O
cost	O
and	O
complexity	O
of	O
obtaining	O
and	O
installing	O
physical	O
network	O
protection	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
examples	O
of	O
NFV	O
include	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
load	B-Protocol
balancers	I-Protocol
,	O
firewalls	B-Application
,	O
intrusion	O
detection	O
devices	O
and	O
WAN	B-Protocol
accelerators	I-Protocol
to	O
name	O
a	O
few	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decoupling	O
of	O
the	O
network	O
function	O
software	O
from	O
the	O
customized	O
hardware	O
platform	O
realizes	O
a	O
flexible	O
network	B-Architecture
architecture	I-Architecture
that	O
enables	O
agile	O
network	O
management	O
,	O
fast	O
new	O
service	O
roll	O
outs	O
with	O
significant	O
reduction	O
in	O
CAPEX	O
and	O
OPEX	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
development	O
model	O
resulted	O
in	O
significant	O
delays	O
when	O
rolling	O
out	O
new	O
services	O
,	O
posed	O
complex	O
interoperability	O
challenges	O
and	O
significant	O
increase	O
in	O
CAPEX/OPEX	O
when	O
scaling	B-Architecture
network	O
systems	O
&	O
infrastructure	O
and	O
enhancing	O
network	O
service	O
capabilities	O
to	O
meet	O
increasing	O
network	O
load	O
and	O
performance	O
demands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
significant	O
competition	O
in	O
communication	O
service	O
offerings	O
from	O
agile	O
organizations	O
operating	O
at	O
large	O
scale	O
on	O
the	O
public	O
Internet	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
,	O
Skype	B-Application
,	O
Netflix	O
)	O
has	O
spurred	O
service	O
providers	O
to	O
look	O
for	O
innovative	O
ways	O
to	O
disrupt	O
the	O
status	O
quo	O
and	O
increase	O
revenue	O
streams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
telecom	O
operators	O
published	O
a	O
white	O
paper	O
at	O
a	O
conference	O
in	O
Darmstadt	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
on	O
software-defined	O
networking	O
(	O
SDN	O
)	O
and	O
OpenFlow	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Call	O
for	O
Action	O
concluding	O
the	O
White	O
Paper	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
Network	B-Architecture
Functions	I-Architecture
Virtualization	I-Architecture
(	O
NFV	O
)	O
Industry	O
Specification	O
Group	O
(	O
ISG	O
)	O
within	O
the	O
European	O
Telecommunications	O
Standards	O
Institute	O
(	O
ETSI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtualized	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
(	O
VNFs	O
)	O
are	O
software	O
implementations	O
of	O
network	O
functions	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
deployed	O
on	O
a	O
network	B-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
virtualization	I-Architecture
infrastructure	O
(	O
NFVI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
virtualization	I-Architecture
infrastructure	O
(	O
NFVI	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
totality	O
of	O
all	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
components	O
that	O
build	O
the	O
environment	O
where	O
NFVs	O
are	O
deployed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
virtualization	I-Architecture
management	O
and	O
orchestration	B-Application
architectural	O
framework	O
(	O
NFV-MANO	O
Architectural	O
Framework	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
collection	O
of	O
all	O
functional	O
blocks	O
,	O
data	O
repositories	O
used	O
by	O
these	O
blocks	O
,	O
and	O
reference	O
points	O
and	O
interfaces	O
through	O
which	O
these	O
functional	O
blocks	O
exchange	O
information	O
for	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
managing	O
and	O
orchestrating	O
NFVI	O
and	O
VNFs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
NFVI	O
role	O
,	O
it	O
consists	O
of	O
both	O
virtual	O
and	O
physical	O
processing	O
and	O
storage	O
resources	O
,	O
and	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
NFV-MANO	O
role	O
it	O
consists	O
of	O
VNF	O
and	O
NFVI	O
managers	O
and	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
software	O
operating	O
on	O
a	O
hardware	B-Protocol
controller	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
service	O
provider	O
that	O
follows	O
the	O
NFV	O
design	O
implements	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
virtualized	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
,	O
or	O
VNFs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
aspect	O
of	O
implementing	O
NFV	O
is	O
the	O
orchestration	B-Application
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
build	O
highly	O
reliable	O
and	O
scalable	B-Architecture
services	O
,	O
NFV	O
requires	O
that	O
the	O
network	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
instantiate	O
VNF	O
instances	O
,	O
monitor	O
them	O
,	O
repair	O
them	O
,	O
and	O
(	O
most	O
important	O
for	O
a	O
service	O
provider	O
business	O
)	O
bill	O
for	O
the	O
services	O
rendered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
attributes	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
carrier-grade	O
features	O
,	O
are	O
allocated	O
to	O
an	O
orchestration	B-Application
layer	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
provide	O
high	O
availability	O
and	O
security	O
,	O
and	O
low	O
operation	O
and	O
maintenance	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Importantly	O
,	O
the	O
orchestration	B-Application
layer	O
must	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
manage	O
VNFs	O
irrespective	O
of	O
the	O
underlying	O
technology	O
within	O
the	O
VNF	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
an	O
orchestration	B-Application
layer	O
must	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
manage	O
an	O
SBC	B-Protocol
VNF	O
from	O
vendor	O
X	O
running	O
on	O
VMware	O
vSphere	O
just	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
IMS	B-Protocol
VNF	O
from	O
vendor	O
Y	O
running	O
on	O
KVM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
perception	O
of	O
NFV	O
was	O
that	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
capability	O
should	O
be	O
implemented	O
in	O
data	O
centers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NFV	O
presumes	O
and	O
emphasizes	O
the	O
widest	O
possible	O
flexibility	O
as	O
to	O
the	O
physical	O
location	O
of	O
the	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ideally	O
,	O
therefore	O
,	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
functions	O
should	O
be	O
located	O
where	O
they	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
effective	O
and	O
least	O
expensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
means	O
a	O
service	O
provider	O
should	O
be	O
free	O
to	O
locate	O
NFV	O
in	O
all	O
possible	O
locations	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
data	O
center	O
to	O
the	O
network	B-Protocol
node	I-Protocol
to	O
the	O
customer	O
premises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
some	O
cases	O
there	O
are	O
clear	O
advantages	O
for	O
a	O
service	O
provider	O
to	O
locate	O
this	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
functionality	O
at	O
the	O
customer	O
premises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
advantages	O
range	O
from	O
economics	O
to	O
performance	O
to	O
the	O
feasibility	O
of	O
the	O
functions	O
being	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
ETSI	O
NFV	O
ISG-approved	O
public	O
multi-vendor	O
proof	O
of	O
concept	O
(	O
PoC	O
)	O
of	O
D-NFV	O
was	O
conducted	O
by	O
Cyan	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
RAD	O
,	O
Fortinet	O
and	O
Certes	O
Networks	O
in	O
Chicago	O
in	O
June	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
sponsored	O
by	O
CenturyLink	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
RAD	O
's	O
dedicated	O
customer-edge	O
D-NFV	O
equipment	O
running	O
Fortinet	O
's	O
Next	O
Generation	O
Firewall	B-Application
(	O
NGFW	O
)	O
and	O
Certes	O
Networks’	O
virtual	O
encryption/decryption	O
engine	O
as	O
Virtual	B-Protocol
Network	I-Protocol
Functions	O
(	O
VNFs	O
)	O
with	O
Cyan	O
's	O
Blue	O
Planet	O
system	O
orchestrating	O
the	O
entire	O
ecosystem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RAD	O
's	O
D-NFV	O
solution	O
,	O
a	O
Layer	O
2/Layer	O
3	O
network	B-Protocol
termination	I-Protocol
unit	I-Protocol
(	O
NTU	O
)	O
equipped	O
with	O
a	O
D-NFV	O
X86	B-Operating_System
server	O
module	O
that	O
functions	O
as	O
a	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
engine	O
at	O
the	O
customer	O
edge	O
,	O
became	O
commercially	O
available	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VNFCs	O
should	O
in	O
general	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
scale	B-Architecture
up	I-Architecture
and/or	I-Architecture
scale	I-Architecture
out	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
allocate	O
flexible	O
(	O
virtual	O
)	O
CPUs	O
to	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
VNFC	O
instances	O
,	O
the	O
network	O
management	O
layer	O
can	O
scale	O
up	O
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
scale	O
vertically	O
)	O
the	O
VNFC	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
throughput/performance	O
and	O
scalability	B-Architecture
expectations	O
over	O
a	O
single	O
system	O
or	O
a	O
single	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Architecture
Functions	I-Architecture
Virtualisation	I-Architecture
is	O
highly	O
complementary	O
to	O
Software-Defined	O
Networking	O
(	O
SDN	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
control	O
plane	O
interacts	O
both	O
northbound	B-Architecture
and	O
southbound	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
northbound	B-Architecture
direction	O
the	O
control	O
plane	O
provides	O
a	O
common	O
abstracted	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
network	O
to	O
higher-level	O
applications	O
and	O
programs	O
using	O
high-level	O
APIs	O
and	O
novel	O
management	O
paradigms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Intent-based	O
networking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
southbound	B-Architecture
direction	O
the	O
control	O
plane	O
programs	O
the	O
forwarding	O
behavior	O
of	O
the	O
data	O
plane	O
,	O
using	O
device	O
level	O
APIs	O
of	O
the	O
physical	O
network	O
equipment	O
distributed	O
around	O
the	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
entirely	O
possible	O
to	O
implement	O
a	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
network	O
function	O
(	O
VNF	O
)	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
entity	O
using	O
existing	O
networking	O
and	O
orchestration	B-Application
paradigms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
inherent	O
benefits	O
in	O
leveraging	O
SDN	O
concepts	O
to	O
implement	O
and	O
manage	O
an	O
NFV	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
particularly	O
when	O
looking	O
at	O
the	O
management	O
and	O
orchestration	B-Application
of	O
Network	O
Services	O
(	O
NS	O
)	O
,	O
composed	O
of	O
different	O
type	O
of	O
Network	O
Functions	O
(	O
NF	O
)	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Physical	O
Network	O
Functions	O
(	O
PNF	O
)	O
and	O
VNFs	O
,	O
and	O
placed	O
between	O
different	O
geo-located	O
NFV	O
infrastructures	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
's	O
why	O
multivendor	O
platforms	O
are	O
being	O
defined	O
that	O
incorporate	O
SDN	O
and	O
NFV	O
in	O
concerted	O
ecosystems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
NFV	O
system	O
needs	O
a	O
central	O
orchestration	B-Application
and	O
management	O
system	O
that	O
takes	O
operator	O
requests	O
associated	O
with	O
an	O
NS	O
or	O
a	O
VNF	O
,	O
translates	O
them	O
into	O
the	O
appropriate	O
processing	O
,	O
storage	O
and	O
network	O
configuration	O
needed	O
to	O
bring	O
the	O
NS	O
or	O
VNF	O
into	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
where	O
the	O
centralized	O
controller	O
is	O
controlling	O
a	O
distributed	O
forwarding	O
function	O
that	O
could	O
in	O
fact	O
be	O
also	O
virtualized	B-General_Concept
on	O
existing	O
processing	O
or	O
routing	O
equipment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
immediate	O
applications	O
are	O
numerous	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
of	O
mobile	B-General_Concept
base	I-General_Concept
stations	I-General_Concept
,	O
platform	B-Application
as	I-Application
a	I-Application
service	I-Application
(	O
PaaS	B-Application
)	O
,	O
content	B-Operating_System
delivery	I-Operating_System
networks	I-Operating_System
(	O
CDN	O
)	O
,	O
fixed	O
access	O
and	O
home	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtualization	B-Architecture
of	I-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
deployed	O
on	O
general	O
purpose	O
standardized	O
hardware	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
reduce	O
capital	O
and	O
operational	O
expenditures	O
,	O
and	O
service	O
and	O
product	O
introduction	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
to	O
realize	O
the	O
anticipated	O
benefits	O
of	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
,	O
network	O
equipment	O
vendors	O
are	O
improving	O
IT	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
to	O
incorporate	O
carrier-grade	O
attributes	O
required	O
to	O
achieve	O
high	O
availability	O
,	O
scalability	B-Architecture
,	O
performance	O
,	O
and	O
effective	O
network	O
management	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
numerous	O
initiatives	O
underway	O
to	O
specify	O
,	O
align	O
and	O
promote	O
NFV	O
carrier-grade	O
capabilities	O
such	O
as	O
ETSI	O
NFV	O
Proof	O
of	O
Concept	O
,	O
ATIS	O
Open	B-Application
Platform	I-Application
for	I-Application
NFV	I-Application
Project	O
,	O
Carrier	O
Network	B-Protocol
Virtualization	I-Protocol
Awards	O
and	O
various	O
supplier	O
ecosystems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
standard	O
Open	B-Language
vSwitch	I-Language
's	O
(	O
OVS	O
)	O
performance	O
has	O
shortcomings	O
that	O
must	O
be	O
resolved	O
to	O
meet	O
the	O
needs	O
of	O
NFVI	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Significant	O
performance	O
improvements	O
are	O
being	O
reported	O
by	O
NFV	O
suppliers	O
for	O
both	O
OVS	O
and	O
Accelerated	O
Open	B-Language
vSwitch	I-Language
(	O
AVS	O
)	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtualization	B-General_Concept
is	O
also	O
changing	O
the	O
way	O
availability	O
is	O
specified	O
,	O
measured	O
and	O
achieved	O
in	O
NFV	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtualizing	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
breaks	O
the	O
explicit	O
coupling	O
with	O
specific	O
equipment	O
,	O
therefore	O
availability	O
is	O
defined	O
by	O
the	O
availability	O
of	O
VNF	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
NFV	O
technology	O
can	O
virtualize	B-General_Concept
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
network	O
function	O
types	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
service	O
availability	O
expectations	O
,	O
NFV	O
platforms	O
should	O
support	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
fault	O
tolerance	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ETSI	O
has	O
already	O
indicated	O
that	O
an	O
important	O
part	O
of	O
controlling	O
the	O
NFV	O
environment	O
be	O
done	O
through	O
automated	O
orchestration	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
NFV	O
Management	O
and	O
Orchestration	B-Application
(	O
NFV-MANO	O
)	O
refers	O
to	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
functions	O
within	O
an	O
NFV	O
system	O
to	O
manage	O
and	O
orchestrate	O
the	O
allocation	O
of	O
virtual	O
infrastructure	O
resources	O
to	O
virtualized	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
(	O
VNFs	O
)	O
and	O
network	O
services	O
(	O
NSs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Architecture
Functions	I-Architecture
Virtualisation	I-Architecture
Orchestrator	O
(	O
NFVO	O
)	O
;	O
</s>
<s>
Virtualised	B-Architecture
Infrastructure	I-Architecture
Manager	I-Architecture
(	O
VIM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
functions	O
are	O
used	O
for	O
managing	O
containerized	O
VNFs	O
:	O
the	O
Container	B-Application
Infrastructure	O
Service	O
Management	O
(	O
CISM	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Container	B-Application
Image	O
Registry	O
(	O
CIR	O
)	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ETSI	O
delivers	O
a	O
full	O
set	O
of	O
standards	O
enabling	O
an	O
open	O
ecosystem	O
where	O
Virtualized	B-Architecture
Network	I-Architecture
Functions	I-Architecture
(	O
VNFs	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
interoperable	O
with	O
independently	O
developed	O
management	O
and	O
orchestration	B-Application
systems	O
,	O
and	O
where	O
the	O
components	O
of	O
a	O
management	O
and	O
orchestration	B-Application
system	O
are	O
themselves	O
interoperable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
Restful	B-Protocol
API	I-Protocol
specifications	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
specifications	O
of	O
a	O
packaging	O
format	O
for	O
delivering	O
VNFs	O
to	O
service	O
providers	O
and	O
of	O
the	O
deployment	O
templates	O
to	O
be	O
packaged	O
with	O
the	O
software	O
images	O
to	O
enable	O
managing	O
the	O
lifecycle	O
of	O
VNFs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Deployment	O
templates	O
can	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
TOSCA	B-Language
or	O
YANG	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
OpenAPI	B-Architecture
(	O
a.k.a.	O
</s>
<s>
Swagger	B-Architecture
)	O
representation	O
of	O
the	O
API	O
specifications	O
is	O
available	O
and	O
maintained	O
on	O
the	O
ETSI	O
forge	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
TOSCA	B-Language
and	O
YANG	B-Application
definition	O
files	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
when	O
creating	O
deployment	O
templates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
overview	O
of	O
the	O
different	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
OpenAPI	B-Architecture
representations	O
of	O
NFV-MANO	O
APIs	O
is	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
ETSI	O
NFV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
OpenAPI	B-Architecture
files	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
TOSCA	B-Language
YAML	O
definition	O
files	O
and	O
YANG	B-Application
modules	O
applicable	O
to	O
NFV	O
descriptors	O
are	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
ETSI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recent	O
performance	O
study	O
on	O
NFV	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
throughput	O
,	O
latency	O
and	O
jitter	O
of	O
virtualized	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
functions	I-Architecture
(	O
VNFs	O
)	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
NFV	O
scalability	B-Architecture
in	O
terms	O
of	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
VNFs	O
a	O
single	O
physical	O
server	O
can	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
openNetVM	O
is	O
a	O
high	O
performance	O
NFV	O
platform	O
based	O
on	O
DPDK	O
and	O
Docker	O
containers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2018	O
,	O
many	O
VNF	O
providers	O
began	O
to	O
migrate	O
many	O
of	O
their	O
VNFs	O
to	O
a	O
container-based	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
VNFs	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Cloud-Native	B-General_Concept
Network	I-General_Concept
Functions	I-General_Concept
(	O
CNF	O
)	O
utilize	O
many	O
innovations	O
deployed	O
commonly	O
on	O
internet	O
infrastructure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
auto-scaling	O
,	O
supporting	O
a	O
continuous	O
delivery	O
/	O
DevOps	O
deployment	O
model	O
,	O
and	O
efficiency	O
gains	O
by	O
sharing	O
common	O
services	O
across	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
service	O
discovery	O
and	O
orchestration	B-Application
,	O
a	O
network	O
based	O
on	O
CNFs	O
will	O
be	O
more	O
resilient	O
to	O
infrastructure	O
resource	O
failures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Utilizing	O
containers	B-Application
,	O
and	O
thus	O
dispensing	O
with	O
the	O
overhead	O
inherent	O
in	O
traditional	O
virtualization	B-General_Concept
through	O
the	O
elimination	O
of	O
the	O
guest	B-General_Concept
OS	I-General_Concept
can	O
greatly	O
increase	O
infrastructure	O
resource	O
efficiency	O
.	O
</s>
