OPNFV Project launches fifth platform ‘Euphrates’
The OPNFV Project, an open platform that facilitates the development and evolution of NFV components, recently released its fifth platform dubbed Euphrates. The release marks the fifth and only platform by OPNFV that includes the open source system Kubernetes.
OPNFV originally deployed containers when Kubernetes had yet to achieve widespread use as seen today. The lightweight technology enables developers to package an application and its parts into an isolated environment, which ‘contains’ all the resources it needs to function properly. Largely through the help of Docker, however, several companies now use container-based technology to manage their businesses.
According to OPNFV, Euphrates signifies a significant step toward the cloud-native capabilities network operators desire. The platform includes a host of NFV components made for various use cases, including virtual network function (VNF) onboarding, network service testing, MANO qualification, test automation, and the creation of DevOps methodologies and operational best practices.
“With this initial integration of Kubernetes with the existing stack of open source network components, Euphrates enables NFV to make significant advances in the journey towards cloud native,” said Heather Kirksey, director of OPNFV. “Combined with a focus on XCI and modern DevOps practices, more efficient infrastructure, and enhanced operations capabilities, we’re witnessing the powerful culmination of three years’ worth of collaboration across a broad swath of open source communities, come to life.”
With the integration of Kubernetes, OPNFV Euphrates can launch containerized OpenStack via Kolla, an open source project that includes production-ready containers and deployment tools for managing OpenStack clouds. Moreover, OPNFV Euphrates includes technology from the Calipso project, which provides operational visibility into complex virtual networks. In addition, Euphrates provides the security and user management capabilities of Moon, a project created to protect OpenStack cloud services.
“Euphrates brings a deeper level of maturity to the platform,” said Tapio Tallgren, chair of Technical Steering Committee (TSC), OPNFV and lead software architect, Nokia’s Mobile Architecture Unit. “Iterative updates and improvements in areas such as MANO integration and service assurance, security, testing, and performance are part and parcel to bigger architectural changes that introduce Kubernetes as a VIM to orchestrate containerized VNFs.”
