RINA as a Clean-Slate Approach to Software Networks

Diego R. López

Telefónica I+D

@ictpristine

RINA in a Nutshell• Recursive Inter-Network Architecture

• “Networking is IPC… and only IPC”

• The network is modelled as the interconnection of applications in different scopes, the DAFs

• One single layer, recursively repeated as needed

• Specialized DAFs, that become DIFs

• Two protocols

• Data transfer, with a consistent QoS model (delta-t)

• Application (layer) management

• Three types of nodes

• Hosts

• Interior routers

• Border routers

• Addressing is local to each scope

• No global address space is necessary

• More details at www.pouzinsociety.org or csr.bu.edu/rina @ictpristine 2

How Does It Look Like

• All DIFs offer the same services through their API and have the same components and structure

• Not all the DIFs operate over the same scope and environment nor do they have to provide the same level of service

• Invariant parts (mechanisms) and variant parts (policies) are separated in different components of the architecture

@ictpristine 3

RINA and the 5G Goals - I• The hardest challenges for 5G are related to defining an

adaptive network architecture able of supporting a wide range of device capabilities, multiple connectivity models and heterogeneous application areas with their specific requirements.

• Reducing the average service creation time cycle from 90 hours to 90 minutes

• The IPC model offers the same unified API at all the network layers

• New applications can be quickly integrated at any logical network layer

• The network stack is highly configurable via policies. Just change as much or as little as to suit the scenario

• Creating a secure, reliable and dependable Internet with a “zero perceived” downtime for services provision

• Integrated security, configurable addressing, and routing resiliency

• QoS management, mobility and multi-homing are built in, distributed within each layer and without a single point of failure.

@ictpristine 4

RINA and the 5G Goals - II• Facilitating very dense deployments of wireless communication

links to connect over 7 trillion wireless devices serving over 7 billion people

• The flat nature of IP (v4 and v6) addressing means routing tables have to grow to accommodate accessible devices (and the people operating them) and mobility by tunnelling

• The recursive layer model results in smaller layer routing tables

• Mobility is just an update of a lower layer address.

• No tunnels, no workarounds for the IP shortcomings, and proper management of heterogeneity

• Re-think how mobility, resiliency, multi-homing and routing are managed in an elegant, efficient, predictable and comprehensive way

• 5G networks will rely heavily on Software Networks (NFV, SDN…)

• Let’s explore a RINA approach to them

@ictpristine 5

A Few Challenges for Software Networks

• Support the performance requirements of dataplane workloads

• Optimization beyond current cloud practices

• Adaptive security policy verification

• Security beyond physical access and links

• Smarter forwarding

• Go beyond the 5-tuple

• Enhanced resiliency by elasticity

• Availability beyond overprovisioned failover

• Network functions become applications and services at the same time

• Support for recursive service and components beyond current overlay techniques

• Find a proper integration of different technologies@ictpristine 6

Starting to Use RINA to Address All These Challenges

• Provide the infrastructural network support for NFV

• Service chains via SFC

• VNF internal connections

• VNF resiliency mechanisms

• Full software-based management and control

• Circumscribe it to NFV PoPs and the provision of IP-based services

• Facilitate service provisioning and stability

• In a compatible way with current network deployments

• Demonstrating an evolutionary path

@ictpristine 7

RINA on the NFV Framework

@ictpristine 8

NFV Infrastructure

End Point

End Point

E2E Network Service

Compute Storage NetworkHW Resources

Virtualization LayerVirtualization SW

Virtual Compute

Virtual Storage

Virtual Network

Virtual Resources

Logical Abstractions

Network Service

VNF VNF VNF

VNF VNF

Logical Links

VNF Instances

VNF VNF VNFSW Instances

VNF : Virtualized Network Function

VNFRINA support for SFC and pooling

RINA support for NFV Forwarding Graphs via SFC

Single PoP

Multiple tenants

PoP fabric network untouched

Optimized fabric usage

A RINA NFV Deployment

@ictpristine 9

SFC Node(VNF)

SFC Node(VNF)

SFC Egress Node(VNF/PNF)

SFC Ingress Node(VNF/PNF)

VNFCI

Service Chain DAF

Chain DIFIPCP IPCP IPCP IPCP

VNFCI VNFCI VNFCI VNFCI VNFCI VNF DAF

VNF DIFIPCP IPCP

Transport DC & shim DIFsIPCPIPCP IPCPVIM

VNFM(s)

NFVO

Service chain DAF & DIF, managed by NFVO – One per each VNFFG

VNF DAF & DIF, managed by VNFM(s) – One per each VNF – IPCPs at the DIF provide pooling

Transport (and shim) DIFs, managed by the VIM – As required by SC and VNF DIFs

10

Design Patterns• The MANO DAF

• Supporting recursive aggregation at the orchestration stack

• Consistent policy-based orchestration at all layers

• Through an object-oriented approach

• An adaptive, recursive “control plane”

• Quotes above are essential!

• Simplified deployment

• Beyond current network overlay technologies that require specific cross-layer bindings

• Dynamic updates, migration, scaling…

• Infrastructure network properties such as security, topology verification, allocation, load balancing, failure protection… are directly enforced by the RINA policies

• Network components become reusable

• New service design patterns become possible, even for the current Internet

@ictpristine

11

And Here We Stand• A full RINA open-source stack implemented by the IRATI

project

• Including all required shim DIFs

• A RINA SDK and management framework being implemented by PRISTINE

• irati.github.io

• PRISTINE includes an architecture for direct application to cloud and NFV use cases

• Requirements for the different policies have been identified

• A first experimental scenariodefined and being validated

• Some other proposals in the line

• Some of them directly addressing 5G

• And (much) more to come

• Let’s dare think big to address big problems

• Let’s apply theoretical foundations@ictpristine