NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) is a foundational component of the Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture. It provides the physical and virtual resources on which Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) run. Essentially, it’s the environment where the virtual network functions are instantiated, operated, and managed. Let’s delve into its details:

Components of NFVI:

  • Hardware Resources: This includes the actual physical equipment, such as servers, storage devices, and network hardware (like switches and routers). It’s often standard commodity hardware, not specialized equipment.
  • Virtualization Layer: This is responsible for creating and managing virtual resources (like virtual machines or containers) on the hardware. Common technologies include hypervisors like KVM, VMware, and Xen.
  • Virtual Resources: These are the virtual counterparts of the physical hardware — virtual CPUs (vCPUs), virtual memory, virtual storage, and virtual network interfaces.

Characteristics:

  • Resource Pooling: NFVI allows for the pooling of physical resources, enabling efficient allocation to different VNFs based on need.
  • Multi-Tenancy: Multiple VNFs, possibly from different service providers or vendors, can co-exist on the same NFVI.
  • Scalability: Resources can be scaled out or in dynamically based on the requirements of the VNFs.

Functions:

  • Compute: Provisioning of vCPUs and memory for VNFs.
  • Storage: Provides virtual storage resources, either as block storage or file systems.
  • Networking: Manages the virtual networks and ensures connectivity among VNFs and between VNFs and external networks.

Benefits:

  • Cost Efficiency: By using commodity hardware and shared resources, NFVI can significantly reduce capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX).
  • Flexibility: Resources can be allocated, reallocated, or deallocated on-the-fly, offering great flexibility to adapt to changing demands.
  • Rapid Deployment: New services or updates can be deployed quickly without the need to procure and install new physical hardware.

Challenges:

  • Performance: Ensuring that the virtualized environment can meet the performance and latency requirements of certain network functions.
  • Security: Introducing a virtualization layer can create new vulnerabilities. Isolating and securing VNFs from each other, especially in multi-tenant environments, is crucial.
  • Management Complexity: With the added flexibility comes increased complexity in managing and orchestrating resources.

Relationship with other NFV Components:

  • VNFs: As mentioned, VNFs run atop the NFVI. Their performance and reliability depend on the underlying NFVI’s efficiency.
  • NFV Management and Orchestration (MANO): MANO oversees the deployment, operation, and management of services on the NFVI. It ensures that VNFs get the resources they need and handles lifecycle management tasks.

In essence, NFVI is the bedrock upon which the promise of NFV is realized. By providing a flexible, scalable, and efficient environment for running network functions as software, NFVI is central to transforming the telecommunications and networking sectors.