Key elements of a Well Behaved Network Service Orchestration Layer

With rapidly changing digital landscapes in IT and Telecoms, agile and efficient network services and provisioning of the same is of increasing importance. A well-behaved network service orchestration layer is essential for meeting these demands, particularly as technologies like Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) continue to evolve. The following identifies key elements that constitute an effective orchestration layer, highlighting its role in facilitating seamless service delivery, to be explored further in future.

1 Model Driven Architecture

A robust orchestration layer should adopt a model-driven architecture. This approach utilizes service models to abstract service configurations from the specific implementations tied to vendor devices. The benefits of this abstraction include:

Simplified Service Design:

By decoupling service design from device specifics, operators can create and modify services more rapidly.

Standardisation:

Utilizing standards like YANG allows for a human and machine-readable format, making programmatic manipulation easier and more efficient.

2. Programmatic Configuration

Programmatic configuration is another enabler of a well-behaved orchestration layer. This involves:

Automation of Configuration Tasks:

By leveraging standards-based interfaces such as NETCONF and YANG, the orchestration layer can automate network element configurations.

Increased Accuracy and Consistency:

Automating these tasks reduces reliance on manual command-line interface (CLI) inputs, minimizing errors and enhancing service provisioning speed.

While the adoption of NETCONF and YANG is still progressing, supporting non-standard interfaces for devices lacking native support is important for comprehensive orchestration.

3. Integration with Operational Systems

A successful orchestration layer must seamlessly integrate with existing operational systems, including:

Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operational Support Systems (OSS):

This integration is facilitated through well-defined northbound APIs, enabling efficient information exchange and process coordination.

NFV Management and Orchestration (MANO):

Interaction with the NFV MANO stack is important for deploying and configuring virtual network functions (VNFs) based on specific service requirements.

4 Transactional Reliability

Transactionality and reliability maintains network integrity. A well-behaved orchestration layer should:

Enforce Atomic Operations:

Configuration changes should be applied as a single transaction, meaning either all changes succeed or none do. This prevents partial configurations that could lead to inconsistencies and errors.

Safeguard Nework Consitency:

By rolling back transactions in case of failures, the orchestration layer helps maintain a stable network environment.

5 Stateful Network Awareness

Maintaining stateful network awareness is essential for effective orchestration. This involves:

Real-Time Monitoring:

The orchestration layer should have a near-real-time view of the network’s configured state, including the status of all services and devices.

Informed Decision-Making:

This awareness supports reliable configuration decisions and enables quick rollbacks if issues arise.

Incorporating these key elements into a network service orchestration layer significantly enhances the agility, efficiency, and reliability of network operations. Market evolution along with complexity and diversity of Telecommunication Networks makes it challenging to standardize APIs. This could be one of the reasons why SDOs like TMForum and MEF APIs have a Service-Centric approach in the definition and standardisation of APIs. Additionally Network equipment vendors often have proprietary interface and APIs adding to integration challenges. To be explored further in future posts.