New Control Architectures for E2E
networks
Juan Pedro Fernandez-Palacios, Telefonica I+D (jpfpg@tid.es)
April 2013
Traditional core network operation is very complex and expensive
 Core network operation is not adapted to flexible networking
 Multiple manual configuration actions are needed in core network nodes
 Network solutions from different vendors typically use particularized Network Management
System (NMS) implementations
 Very long service provisioning times
CURRENT APPROACH FOR NETWORK PROVISIONING
Service
Management
Systems
Internet
Voice
CDN
Cloud
Business
Umbrella Provisioning System
Network
Provisioning
Systems
Metro
NMS
IP Core
NMS
Complex and long workflows for
network provisioning over
different
segments (metro, IP core, Optical
transport) requiring multiple
configurations over different NMS
Optical Transport
NMS
NMS
NMS
NMS
NMS
NMS
NMS
NMS
NMS
Vendor A Vendor B Vendor C Vendor D Vendor E Vendor A Vendor B Vendor C
Core
Network
Nodes
IP
IP
Metro
IP
Optical
Optical
Optical
Metro
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node
Vendor A Vendor B Vendor C Vendor D Vendor E Vendor A Vendor B Vendor C
Unified network provisioning architecture
 Control plane and SDN pave the path towards a unified network provisioning
architecture
 Key building block of such unified network provisioning architecture are:
 Network configuration interface: Multivendor edge nodes configuration (e.g OLT and BRAS,
IP core routers, etc) by standard interfaces (e.g OpenFlow)
 IT and network SDN orchestration: Coordinated network and datacenter resources control
according to service requirements (e.g orchestrated Virtual Machine transfer among
datacenters)
 Network-Service API: Application level API hiding details of the network
Service
Management
Systems
Internet
CDN
Cloud
Business
Network-Service API
Multiservice network provisioning system
(SDN Orchestrator)
Network
Provisioning
Metro
Node
Vendor A
Core Network
Nodes
Voice
Metro
Node
Vendor B
IP
Node
Vendor C
IP
Node
Vendor D
IP
Node
Vendor E
Optical
Node
Vendor A
Optical
Node
Vendor B
Optical
Node
Vendor C
Standard signaling mechanisms running over network nodes enabling
flexible networking and automated network provisioning over different
network segments (metro, core IP, optical transport) including multiple
vendors
Network configuration
interface
Basic SDN Approach for OpenFlow Domains
Application Layer
API
ALTO
TED
SDN orchestrator
OAM Handler
SDN
Controller
SDN
PCE
VNTM CONTROLLER
Provisioning Manager
OPENFLOW
Infrastructur
e Layer (e.g
DataCenter)
OpenFlow is based on the concept of actions that are
applied to each packet of a given flow (Ethernet-level
addresses, VLAN tags, IP addresses, MPLS labels or
transport-level ports).
The actions taken by SDN the controller comprise:
inserting and removing tags (layer 2), performing routing
(layer 3) and also providing differentiated treatment to
packets (QoS)
Main actions to be taken by the SDN controller in E2E
networks
1) Discovery of network resources
2) Routing, path computation
3) Automated network orchestration
in response to changing network
conditions and service requirements
4) Network resources abstraction to application layer
5) QoS control and performance monitoring
6) Multilayer interworking
7) Multidomain/multivendor network resources provisioning through
different control domains (e.g OpenFlow DataCenter, OpenFlow MAN,
GMPLS optical transport…)
E2E networks might be pure OpenFlow based one day,
but the migration process will take some time
82nd IETF, Taipei
SDN controller based on standard building blocks
Most of these building
blocks are still on
definition and
standardization process
Applications (Internet, CDN, cloud…)
4-ALTO
1- TED
SDN
3-SDN orchestrator 5-OAM HandlerController
6-VNTM
2-PCE
7-Provisioning Manager
OPENFLOW
NETCONF
PCEP
OPENFLOW
OPENFLOW
OpenFLow
Data
Center
OpenFlow
MAN
Domain
IP/MPLS
core
GMPLS
Optical
Domains
OpenFlow
Optical
Domain
CLI
MPLS
MAN
Inside SDN Orchestrator
Cloud
Services
Live OTT
…
API
API
API
CDN and
nionetwork
optimizat
CSO
Internet
…
Network APIs
Orchestration
mechanisms (*)
Link
Provisioni
ng
Multilayer
Orchestrator
NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM
Provisioning Manager
NetConf
OpenFlow
Physical Network
PCEP
UNI
E2E SDN control
SDN controller
Virtual
Machine (e.g
BRAS)
Multidomain L2 service provisioning
CPE
Access Network
Metro Area Network
Core Network
Data Center Network
Optical Transport
Multilayer orchestration
 Technical challenges:
 Horizontal Orchestration. Automated L2 service provisioning through
different packet switching domains (metro, core, datacenter).
 Vertical Orchestration. This orchestration enables adaptive network
resources allocation in IP and optical layers according to the traffic
pattern to efficiently use network resources
Multidomain L2 service provisioning (short
term)
SDN controller
CLI
CLI
OpenFlow
CPE
Access Network
Metro Area Network
Core Network
Multidomain pseudowire
over seamless MPLS
Virtual
Machine (e.g
BRAS)
Data Center Network
Intra datacenter
connection
Multidomain L2 service provisioning (Medium
term)
SDN controller
OpenFlow
OpenFlow
OpenFlow
CPE
Access Network
Metro Area Network
Core Network
Multidomain pseudowire
over seamless MPLS
Virtual
Machine (e.g
BRAS)
Data Center Network
Intra datacenter
connection
Multidomain L2 service provisioning
(Medium term)
For this scenario, OF is used to trigger control plane. This means that
edge nodes have to decode OF and translate into CP messages.
OF Request
1
CP node
2
OF Information
3 Updated
4
For
OF and CP node
enable node
the case of creating a Pseudo-Wire following parameters are
required:
• Pseudowire Label
• MPLS Label
• Service VLAN (VLANs)
• Output port
10
Multidomain L2 service provisioning (Long term)
SDN controller
Common Interface
CPE
SDN controller
SDN controller
Metro Area Network
Core Network
SDN controller
OpenFlow
OpenFlow
Access Network
Connection to datacenter
 Options:
Virtual
Machine (e.g
BRAS)
Data Center Network
Intra datacenter
connection
 Hierarchical Approach. There is a controller which has a global view so
it can orchestrate the configuration in each domain.
 Peer Relationship. Each controller can request for information or
connections to other peers.
Vertical Orchestration
Load balancing between IP and optical networks
Multi-layer restoration
Access Region 2
Transit R2
Interconnection
Access R1
Transit R1
Transit
Backup R3
Transit R3
Access R3
• Increased survivability
• Extended reparation processes
• Capex Savings (best effort
traffic only)
EU projects situation in this picture
Applications (Internet, CDN, cloud…)
IDEALIST: Multilayer IP over FlexiGrid Orchestration
STRAUSS: VM transfer orchestration
4-ALTO
SDN
3-SDN orchestrator 5-OAM HandlerController
IDEALIST
IDEALIST
1- TED
6-VNTM
IDEALIST
2-PCE
IDEALIST: IP and Flexgrid configuration
7-Provisioning Manager
OPENFLOW, GMPLS
STRAUSS
OpenFLow
OPS Data
Center
OPENFLOW
DISCUS
OpenFlow
Metro-Core
Node
(L3/L2/L1)
NETCONF PCEP, GMPLS OPENFLOW
IDEALIST
IP/MPLS
core
IDEALIST
GMPLS
FlexiGrid
OFELIA
OpenFlow
WSON
network
EU –Japan collaboration within STRAUSS project
14
List of potential topics for future collaboration
EU-Japan
E2E SDN control (KDDI, NTT, NEC…)
Network Operating System
Multilayer and multidomain orchestration mechanisms
Network Functions Virtualisation
Optical data plane (NTT, Fujitsu, Osaka University, NEC…)
Subwavelength, Flexgrid, Optical OFDM
Sliceable and Programmable Transponders
“sliceable” BVT. Figure from NTT.
Joint EU-Japan standardization contributions (IETF, ONF, NFV, ITU…)