A Pattern for a Virtual Network Function (VNF)

Abstract

Network Function Virtualization (NFV), produces the functions of the network through virtualization of hardware resources. Different networking components such as firewalls, load balancers, and IDS are provided as a service and rely purely on the cloud, which makes expanding and upgrading the network an easy and fast process. Network Functions (NF) normally require a tightly coupled infrastructure making the process of enhancing and expanding the network difficult. In NFV, the services are provided through different Virtual Network Function (VNF), which are combined into a Network Graph (NG) and delivered to the user as a package. We present here a pattern to describe VNFs. A pattern is an encapsulated solution to a problem in a given context; this pattern should be of value to system designers and users of NFV systems.