Supercharge your SDN controllers with the best Network Service Orchestrator

Undoubtedly deploying services in any network environment requires configuration across multiple network elements. Although some network elements are directly managed by an SDN controller, many are not. With a typical network service spanning many layers up and across the network stack including Data Center Access, DC Core, Edge, Campus, Branch/CPE, WAN etc., SDN controllers typically do not have visibility across the entire stack.

Usually SD-WAN solutions automate the CPE functionality but don’t cover the rest of the network that extends into a large campus/LAN involving routing, security, switching, wireless which requires configuration of QOS, segmentation, port security and identity based access policies.

To further complicate the situation, the technology stack consists of multi-vendor networks in most environments.

Take out the orchestrator, and manual configurations are required for multiple network elements including SDN controllers, OpenStack, VNFs, PNFs, servers and storage.

With a running Anuta NCX Network Service Orchestrator , your SDN environment gets supercharged with a cross functional, cross domain, cross technology orchestration for highly centralized service policy definition; and to automatically provision all the network elements for end to end service chaining and network policy deployment.

Integration Examples

In this section, we will discuss how Anuta NCX Orchestrator integrates with the leading SDN controllers to provide an end-to-end network service delivery.

1. Anuta NCX Integration with HPE DCN (Nuage VSP) and HPE Helion HCG OpenStack distribution

In this use-case, Anuta NCX Orchestrator helps deliver tenant services based on different service templates.

Solution Components:

• The HPE Helion Carrier Grade (HCG) OpenStack acts as a VIM.
• HCG has built-in SDN controller HPE DCN, an OEM of Nuage VSP that manages the DC overlay(VXLAN)
• VNFs: F5 BIG-IP VLTM, FortiGate vFW, Checkpoint R77 SG
• EMS: F5 BIG-IQ, FortiGate Forti Manager, Checkpoint R80
• Anuta NCX Orchestrator – Underlay (DC Fabric) and VNF Provisioning & Management

Workflow:

• Customer orders Virtual DC service from user portal
• User portal invokes the service template using Anuta NCXs’ REST API.
• Anuta NCX Orchestrator uses Nuage VSP API to create domains, zones, VNs and policies required for the service.
• NCX uses HCG OpenStack API to spawn the VNFs based on Service template.
• NCX connects to EMS and instructs it to discover the respective VNF for licensing and service assurance.
• NCX connects to the VNFs and provisions the necessary configurations and policy required for services such as FW policy, NAT, VIP service, SSL offload.

2. Anuta NCX Integration with Juniper Contrail and Junos Space

In this use-case, Anuta NCX Orchestrator offers VNF management, SDN Policy creation and vSRX automation to deliver Firewall as a Service (FWaaS).

Solution Components:

• Juniper Contrail acts as SDN controller with Integrated OpenStack as Virtual Infrastructure Manager (VIM).
• Anuta NCX acts as NFV orchestrator and VNF Manager
• VNF – Juniper vSRX or vFortigate act as VNF (FW & NAT)
• Juniper Junos Space or Fortimanager act as EMS
• Anuta NCX – VNF and PNF (DC Gateway & Fabric) provisioning

Workflow:

• Customer orders Firewall for Internet security service from user portal.
• User portal invokes the service template using Anuta NCX ’ REST API.
• NCX uses Contrail API to create necessary VNs and service templates and implements service chaining with user selected FW and Route Policy.
• NCX connects to Junos Space (EMS) and instructs it to monitor the new FW (vSRX) for service assurance.
• NCX connects to the VNFs (vSRX) and provisions the necessary configurations and policy required for services such as Firewall policy and Zones.

3. Anuta NCX integration with Juniper Contrail and F5 BIG-IQ

In this use-case, Anuta NCX offers VNF management, SDN policy creation and vLTM automation to deliver Load Balancer as a Service (LBaaS).

Solution Components:

• Juniper Contrail acts as SDN controller with Integrated OpenStack as VIM.
• Anuta NCX act as NFV orchestrator and VNF Manager
• VNFs: F5 BIG-IP vLTM act as VNF (LB)
• F5 BIG-IQ acts as EMS
• Anuta NCX – VNF and PNF (DC Gateway & Fabric) provisioning

Workflow:

• Customer orders Load Balancer for hosting services in cloud.
• User portal invokes the service template using NCXs’ REST API.
• NCX uses Contrail API to create the necessary VNs and service template and implements service chaining with user selected Load Balancer(LB) and Route Policy.
• NCX connects to BIG-IQ (EMS) and instructs it to discover the new LB and licensing.
• NCX connects to the VNFs (vLB) and provisions the necessary configurations and policy required for services such as Route Domain, VIPs, Nodes, SSL offload.

You can make it a complete SDN environment

SDN controllers introduce programmability, self-service and agility to a portion of the network infrastructure. A Network Service Orchestrator such as Anuta NCX complements the SDN controllers and helps deliver complete network service delivery across all network domains for your multi-vendor infrastructure.

– Puravi Rajan Chetti, September 23rd, 2016