Mission Statement:This Work Area focuses on the introduction of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), including migration and coexistence of physical and virtual elements, into the broadband network. Activities work with and coordinate with Open Broadband (OB) program regarding open source e.g. Open Broadband-Broadband Access Abstraction (OB-BAA) and testing Open Broadband Laboratories (OBLs). These activities demonstrate how standards organizations and open source projects can collaborate. Work Area Directors: Christopher Croot, BT and George Dobrowski, Huawei Technologies
Business Impact:
The migration to SDN and NFV in the broadband network facilitates agile deployment of new customized distributed broadband services and applications. This enables new revenues and provider differentiation while managing OpEx both in the access network and in single and multi-tenant residential and business locations.
Scope:
The scope includes migration to and deployment of SDN- and NFV-enabled implementations across all aspects of the broadband network. Building on the initial architectural definition of and extensions to the BNG framework has led to new definition and requirements for Cloud-based Central Office (CloudCO). It provides architectural cornerstone for next generation broadband networking with dis-aggregatation of functions which enable changes the traditional boundary of a Central Office. The set of deliverables below build on CloudCO for migration, new Access Nodes, and automated intelligent management.
Project Streams
Project Stream | Description | PS Leadership |
|---|---|---|
Non-PS Assigned | Projects that don’t fit under the scope of an existing Project Stream or if they fit under the scope of more than one Project Stream, are developed under the Non-PS Assigned category. | George Dobrowski, Huawei Technologies |
| Project Stream | Description | PS Leadership |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud in the Central Office (Cloud CO) | This project stream is developing a next generation Central Office (CO) System that is part of BBF Open Broadband, which incorporates Software Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualization with SDN control & management running on a cloud-like infrastructure deployed at Central Offices. By ‘cloud-like’, it is meant that the infrastructure leverages commodity network switches and commodity compute nodes with virtualization software to host various virtualized network functions (VNFs). Infrastructure operators can offer these functions to 3rd parties and 3rd party network functions can be inserted into the platform, allowing Value Added Services. The goal of this project is building on the architectural framework for such a Cloud CO (TR-384), with appropriate abstracted functional modules, and interfaces, eventual API and protocol choices and/or definitions. The architectural framework allows interconnecting these functional modules in an interoperable manner. A secondary goal is to figure out and shows how standards organizations and open source projects can collaborate. This project will also establish a reference implementation of the Cloud CO framework, creating a platform for innovation and potential open source upstreaming into other organizations, as well as a platform for industry interoperability testing (OBL) and certification of NFs and the components that implement the aforementioned functional modules. | Yves Hertoghs, VMWare |
| Project Stream | Description | PS Leadership |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) | FTTx represents today a high-cost technology (in terms of Return on Investments) to enhance data rates to the end customers, but it requires a huge effort, in terms of CAPEX and OPEX for access network deployment. Due to this, some operators have recognized the need to partner in order to improve the return on investment of FTTx deployment. Sharing the access network infrastructure is a viable way to expand the network and achieve an effective roll-out of new technologies. FANS delivers one network sharing model with high flexibility for forward looking broadband network deployments and operations, facilitating the business innovation, enhancing the network efficiency and improving customer experience. FANS also addresses the virtualization of that shared infrastructure such that each operator could have their own virtual access node. | Bruno Cornaglia, Vodafone |
| Project Stream | Description | PS Leadership |
|---|---|---|
| Automated Intelligent Management (AIM) | To construct access and home networks with automation and intelligence, to achieve higher O&M efficiency and lower OPEX. | Wei Lin, Huawei Technologies |
SDN and NFV Work Area Email List
- sdn-nfv@broadband-forum.org: SDN and NFV meeting notification, agendas, discussion, etc.
- memgen@broadband-forum.org: All BBF Members, general information.
- Join or Leave BBF Groups and Email Lists
- Go to your JIRA profile page to see all of your current BBF group memberships.
Pages in this space
Completed specs (Public Web site)
Projects in Progress for this Work Area
WT-408 The purpose of this project is to suggest methods by which a existing/legacy broadband network may gradually migrate to one based on CloudCO and/or coexistence of the legacy and CloudCO architecture within segments of the same network. Wei Lin, Huawei Technologies Dharma Rajan, VMware In the Cloud CO context, WT-413 specifies the management and control framework of Network Functions and a formalism to specify their NBIs to identify the supported macro functionalities and link them to existing/to-be YANG DMs. This work primarily enables the migration from SNMP/MIB towards NETCONF/YANG interfaces and potentially other protocols to exercise not only traditional FCAPS management functions but also fine grained flow control across VNFs and PNFs network service graphs. This is a key step towards Software Networking introduction and in turn the automation and Orchestration of PNFs and VNFs in a Cloud CO type of architecture. The development of this Working Text shall also shape the thinking on the way Cloud CO interfaces, especially for VNFs, are modeled and the opportunity to reuse/extend existing YANG work for that. Georgios Karagiannis, Huawei Technologies Mauro Tilocca, Telecom Italia S.p.A Please contact the Work Area Directors if you are interested in being the editor for this project. WT/MD/SD#
CloudCo Projects
Abstract
Related Contributions
Editor(s)
CloudCO migration and co-existence JIRA contributions WT-411 Definition of interfaces between Cloud CO Functional Modules This work will define the Interfaces between the Functional Modules in the Cloud CO Architectural Framework, as well as the Cloud CO Northbound API. Network Transport Protocols will be defined to carry the interface attributes. Furthermore the data models, schemas or APIs that are signaled across them will be defined as well. Existing Open Interface works, as described in Standards and Open Source work will be leveraged as much as possible. It is foreseen that this work will grow incrementally, based upon a series of Cloud CO Application Notes. Cloud CO Application Notes will detail how a certain service is instantiated, maintained and consumed across the Cloud CO Architecture and will detail the necessary interactions between the different Functional Modules in the Architectural Framework, as well as the interactions with the Cloud CO Northbound API in order to achieve the necessary end result. JIRA contributions WT-412 Test Cases for Cloud CO Applications This work will define Test Cases for Cloud CO Applications. Cloud CO scenarios are described in Cloud CO Application Notes. The Cloud CO Application Notes will detail how a certain service is instantiated, maintained and consumed across the Cloud CO Architecture. The Test Cases will be consumed by the Open Broadband Labs, effectively validating the Cloud CO Application Note. JIRA contributions WT-413 SDN Management and Control Interfaces for CloudCO Network Functions WT-435 NETCONF requirements for Access Nodes and Broadband Access Abstraction This project will develop the NETCONF requirements for the NETCONF/YANG Northbound interfaces (NBIs) of Access Physical Network Functions (PNFs) and the CloudCO BAA layer towards the Management and Control (M&C) elements that interact with them. Jira contributions WT-451 WT-454
WT/MD/SD# | FANS Projects | Abstract | Related Contributions | Editor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WT-386 | FANS Access Network Sharing Interfaces | “FANS - Access Network Sharing Interfaces” investigates technical aspects related to the system interfaces associated with FANS. This document provides details and the necessary information required to effectively define these interfaces as well as the rules for communicating with them. | JIRA contributions | Peter Silverman, ASSIA |
| MD-453 | Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) Technical Overview | This paper discusses this evolution and the potential impact of Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) for those interested in business-related aspects. FANS enables broadband network infrastructure, and network management, to be shared amongst operators; thus sharing the costs of gigabit-class broadband deployment while enabling operators to run their own operations. Compared with deploying multiple parallel networks, FANS can lower capital costs. (previously listed as MD-426) | Jira Contributions | Ken Kerpez, ASSIA |
WT/MD/SD# | SDN AIM Projects | Abstract | Related Contributions | Editor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WT-436 | Access & Home Network O&M Automation/Intelligence | Over the past decade, growth in the Telco industry’s revenue has never outpaced growth in OPEX. As the scale of a network increases, OPEX increases with it. Therefore, it is expected that work needs to be done in order to reduce OPEX. | TBA |