NFV(13)M02_009
Approved at NFV#2, 21-22 April 2013
Terms of Reference
for the
Software Architecture Working Group
(NFV SWA)
Responsibilities
 The NFV SWA WG shall deliver a proposal for the NFV SWA overview description
 The NFV SWA WG is responsible to:
o define a reference software architecture for network functions to be deployed,
provisioned, run & managed on virtualized infrastructure
o identify / define the interfaces with other NFV WG building blocks, typically MANO and INF;
and preserve interfaces to legacy OSS&BSS
o collect and define requirements for this reference SWA architecture from relevant
stakeholders
o validate this reference functional software architecture with concrete use cases
o study network function characteristics and requirements that will help classify functions
and drive recommendations for virtualization, i.e. resources needed, management
functions required, etc
o study which network function components are common to multiple NFV use cases and
could be reused across use cases
 The NFV SWA WG shall articulate from the proposed software architecture and use cases:
o Requirements for the interface & functionalities provided by MANO WG
o Requirements for the interface & functionalities provided with INF WG
o Requirements for the interface with legacy OSS/BSS
 The NFV SWA WG shall also describe functionalities specific to software architecture of virtualized
network functions, i.e. functional behavior, deployment model, and characteristics such as security
and performance.
 The NFV SWA WG shall identify gaps, where existing standards/specifications do not fulfill the
requirements of the important aspects of the reference architecture, and suggest and pursue
further standardization activities within organizations to fill those gaps
 The NFV SWA WG shall deliver its findings in the form of Group Specifications and other relevant
ISG NFV deliverables as appropriate.
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NFV(13)M02_009
Approved at NFV#2, 21-22 April 2013
Tasks
The main tasks of the SWA WG are to :
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Deliver specifications in the following domains
o Network Function Classification: Define network function characteristics and requirements
that will help classify functions and drive recommendations for virtualization.
o Network Evolution: Defines how existing network will be evolved to enable virtualized
network functions.
Define a reference software architecture for virtualized network functions
Collect and map use cases against this reference software architecture
Define characteristics to help classify virtualized network functions
Derive requirements from INF and MANO WGs in the different categories/classes of network
functions
Interlock with MANO and INF to drive consensus on SWA-MANO I/F and SWA-INF I/F
Leverage as much as possible any existing standards
Identify gaps in existing standards and create liaison to provide requirements to these standard
bodies
Interlock with REL WG and NFV Expert Groups to provide requirements and collect inputs
Develop and maintain requirements specifications.
Ensure overall coherence and timely evolution of the requirements according to plan
Document and share progress with other NFV WGs on a regular basis
Organization and working methods
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The NFV SWA will follow guidelines and processes defined by ETSI, with support from ISG Support
team
NFV SWA results will be approved by the NFV ISG plenary.
The NFV SWA chairman and co-chairman shall report progress to ETSI and ISG NFV TSC or NOC as
requested
Liaisons
 The NFV SWA WG shall collaborate with other industry organizations as appropriate
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