Orchestrating 5G virtual network functions as a modular Programmable Data Plane

Abstract

The upcoming 5G architecture is expected to heavily rely on network functions implemented by software deployed on commodity hardware architectures. Multiple standardization efforts are underway to specify interfaces between virtualized and real infrastructure, and procedures for interoperability among functions. However, the practical feasibility of function implementation in such abstract and disembodied conditions is scarcely covered in the latest literature. In this paper, we argue for a Network Function Virtualization (NFV) framework that provides 5G network functions built around a modular software router model, rather than following the traditional VM-container approaches. We illustrate its advantages in enabling support for efficient processing on heterogeneous hardware and in ensuring consistency of flow/session semantics across distributed 5G data planes. Finally, we report on the state of Programmable Data Plane, our architecture to implement 5G network functions as modular pipelines orchestrated across multiple devices.