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VMWare Announces vCloud NFV-OpenStack 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 12, 2017 -- Today at VMworld 2017 Europe, VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) announced VMware vCloud NFV-OpenStack, delivering the fastest path to deploying production NFV services on OpenStack. The new vCloud NFV-OpenStack platform includes VMware Integrated OpenStack-Carrier Edition, VMware's new OpenStack Ocata-based distribution that is fully integrated, tested, and certified with VMware's NFV infrastructure platform. Using VMware Integrated OpenStack as an NFV Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM), network architects can easily deploy, upgrade, and operate an OpenStack cloud on top of VMware's carrier-grade NFVI platform.

Additionally, VMware announced Vodafone Group Plc has selected VMware to support the operator's global roll out of NFV (link to news release), and Dell EMC and VMware introduced a new pre-integrated and pre-validated NFV Solution that is OpenStack Ready (link to news release).

Facing unprecedented traffic growth along with rapidly evolving customer expectations, communications service providers (CSPs) are accelerating adoption of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). Industry momentum for OpenStack in NFV deployments has continued gaining traction, with telcos seeing the potential for benefits that include use of open architectures, improved flexibility and pace of innovation for cloud-based networks, access to a global community of OpenStack developers and standardized northbound interfaces (NFV Orchestration, VNF-Manager). With the vCloud NFV-OpenStack Edition, VMware supports an open architecture for seamless integration and interoperability.

"The release of vCloud NFV-OpenStack Edition and announcement of VMware Integrated OpenStack-Carrier Edition is a major step forward in our NFV strategy, given the feedback we received from our customers," said Gabriele Di Piazza, vice president of solutions, Telco NFV Group, VMware. "We are able to offer the fastest path to production OpenStack by providing what nobody else has in the market: the most reliable and rich NFV infrastructure based on VMware's industry-leading virtualization software combined with the openness of standard OpenStack to be optimized with carrier extensions."

OpenStack That's Purpose-Built and Tuned for Carrier Requirements

VMware Integrated OpenStack-Carrier Edition has been developed specifically to address the requirements of CSPs deploying NFV-based network services on OpenStack. VMware vCloud NFV-OpenStack brings native support for container-based Virtualized Network Functions (VNF) through integrated container management, enabling VM and container-based VNFs to run on a single VIM. The solution leverages Ocata's specific functionality to give CSPs tools to deploy NFV networks including:

  • Multi-Tenancy and VNF Resource Reservation: provides resource-level tenant isolation and guaranteed resource availability for each tenant, enabling CSPs to deliver on infrastructure SLAs while securing tenants within the network and improved capacity planning.
  • Dynamic and Elastic Scaling of Network Resources: allows CSPs to create elastic service constructs that can scale network functions up or down, in and out based on usage patterns in order to respond to real-time network traffic conditions. This enables optimal resource management and lowering of capital and operational costs.
  • Enhanced Networking Support and Platform Awareness (EPA): delivers carrier-grade, low latency data-plane performance, enabling CSPs to maintain network performance to deliver a high subscriber Quality of Experience while optimizing resource utilization through supported methodologies such as CPU Pinning, fine-grained NUMA placement settings, support for multiple NIC types and Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV).

VMware vCloud NFV OpenStack Accelerates and Simplifies Path to Production NFV
Leveraging VMware's rich feature set for NFVI and VMware Integrated OpenStack-Carrier Edition, VMware vCloud NFV-OpenStack offers CSPs:

  • Simplified OpenStack Installation and Deployment: VMware Integrated OpenStack-CE allows templated install and deployment of a complete OpenStack Infrastructure within the VMware vSphere® Web Client, leveraging advanced management capabilities through vCenter.
  • Seamless OpenStack Upgrade Experience: Control Plane and Data Plane separation allows for zero network services downtime and service continuity during the OpenStack upgrade process. CSPs can keep up with the pace of innovation through fast upgrades and patching.
  • Integrated Operations Management: through unique NFVI operational automation and Ceilometer integration, along with proactive and predictive analytics, issue isolation, root cause analysis and fast remediation capabilities. VMware vRealize Operations Manager, Log Insight, Network Insight integrated within vCloud NFV-OpenStack, provide operations monitoring, analytics, and a remediation platform via a single pane of glass that reduces operational costs through fast Mean-Time-To-Understand and Repair (MTTU/MTTR).

About VMware vCloud NFV and the VMware Ready Program

With more than 90 NFV deployments by more than 50 CSPs worldwide, VMware vCloud NFV accelerates service innovation and delivery, reduces costs, and simplifies network operations. The vCloud NFV platform enables organizations to deploy a multi-vendor and multi-function NFV platform today that delivers service automation, secure multi-tenancy, operations management, and carrier grade reliability with 5G readiness. The VMware Ready® for NFV certification provides CSPs with the confidence that VMware partner VNF solutions will seamlessly and effectively deploy, run, and interoperate with VMware vCloud NFV. To date, more than 20 VNF partners have been certified on previous versions of VMware Integrated OpenStack, and have committed to certification on VMware Integrated OpenStack-Carrier Edition upon GA of the software.

 

Availability

VMware vCloud NFV-Carrier Edition will be generally available in Q3 FY 2018 (ending November 3, 2017).

Additional Resources

About VMware Solutions for Communications Service Providers

VMware is a proven, strategic software and services partner to global communications service providers that fuels their digital transformations and enables CSPs to manage, transform, and grow their businesses. CSPs leverage VMware to converge network, cloud, and IT architectures into a single platform with a common operating environment for network services and applications. Through innovative Network Functions Virtualization, Mobility and IoT platforms, VMware enables service providers to deliver agile, end-to-end services flexibly and securely to create new revenue streams and open new industry opportunities, drive down costs, and improve overall customer satisfaction.

About VMware

VMware, a leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, helps customers realize possibilities by accelerating their digital transformation journeys. With VMware solutions, organizations are improving business agility by modernizing data centers and integrating public clouds, driving innovation with modern apps, creating exceptional experiences by empowering the digital workspace, and safeguarding customer trust by transforming security. With 2016 revenue of $7.09 billion, VMware is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA and has over 500,000 customers and 75,000 partners worldwide


Source: VMWare

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