Mirantis Cloud Platform boosts NFV capabilities
Mirantis, a cloud computing services company, recently deputed a string of network functions virtualization (NFV) enhancements for its Mirantis Cloud Platform (MCP). NFV involves running various network functions on inexpensive computer nodes in data centers. It has been heralded as the biggest game changer for the telecom industry, allowing service providers to pump out multiple network functions at an unprecedented clip.
Mirantis is known as one of the first companies to embrace Openstack. Since then, the organization has jumped on board the Kubernetes bandwagon. The Mirantis NFV reference platform is founded on the MCP, which encompasses open cloud software like OpenStack, Kubernetes, OpenContrail, Calico and Ceph.
“MCP now includes significant new enhancements for NFV, available for customers to consume via the DriveTrain toolchain,” said Boris Renski, Mirantis co-founder and CMO, in a press statement. “Leading Communications companies are selecting Mirantis to enable their VNFs and unlock a ‘disaggregated’ NFV stack that’s tuned for high performance and based on open source standards and non-proprietary infrastructure hardware.”
The DriveTrain toolchain is one of many different DevOps tools available today. DevOps is a term that refers to the integration of software developers and staff operations. The concept has spread like wildfire throughout the telecom industry, breaking down traditional barriers between the two departments. The DriveTrain toolchain is a deployment tool that serves as the foundation for DevOps lifestyle cycle management (LCM) of open cloud software stacks, providing integration, testing and delivery.
With the original MCP, some DriveTrain components were in a lightweight form of virtualization known as containers; although, Kubernetes and OpenStack were installed with packages. The company updated its MCP to incorporate additional NFV features including:
- OVS-DPDK over bonded interfaces, enabling users to consume higher bandwidth over a single link aggregated interface;
- VLAN-aware virtual machines, allowing service providers to use not as many virtualized network interface cards (vNICs);
- Per-VF Quality of Service (QoS), which sets rate limits for each virtual function and thwarts co-tenants from controlling bandwidth, disk I/O and CPU.
Mirantis announced in April it would end-of-life Mirantis OpenStack and Fuel support by September 2019. The MCP, which joins OpenStack with the Kubernetes container platform, is taking its place. Prior to the announcement, word had been circulating that Mirantis had not received the customer return on OpenStack it had expected; and that many deals were insufficient to uphold the company. Consequently, the organization has moved toward a platform that extends beyond Openstack now accompanied by new NFV functions.
