what is the point of nft

 

The introduction should consist of an explanation of what the article is about and not a question.

NFT - Network Function Virtualization - is an architecture concept that allows to support various network functions, like routing or data centers within a single physical server. It sounds quite simple but it is a big step in the direction of simplification. The idea is to separate the data center networks that contain the different elements of a company, such as business data centers, e-business data centers, hosting provider and so on. The main purpose of this division is to improve network efficiency and reduce costs.

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Some of the most important advantages are:

- reduce cost by reducing energy consumption.

"Reducing energy use will reduce costs." This claim is the true meaning of NFT.

- increase efficiency in one area, for example, horizontal scalability typically increases performance.

"Horizontal scalability typically improves performance. Horizontal scalability is just providing extra computing power when needed."

- support new business models. This is where the real benefits of NFT come, because the main reason to use NFT are the new ways of doing business.

- improve availability, reliability and fault tolerance. Improved network availability, performance and fault tolerance allow users to increase revenues or improve their customers' experience.

- simplify maintenance. This is another area that benefits greatly from the use of NFT: networks are simpler and easier to maintain.

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The architecture of a datacenter network that is based on NFT has following characteristics:

- Virtualization is used to separate the network into logical entities, such as "the network of back office systems", "the network of applications", "the hosting provider's infrastructure" and so on. The main advantage here is that each section can be managed independently and only if there are changes in one area will other networks be affected.

- Each logical entity supports different technologies. This means that some networks will have Ethernet switches, some ATM switches and some IP routers.

- Network topology changes from time to time. NFT is based on standard hardware and software, so the network topology can be changed quickly and easily.

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- The physical resources are used efficiently. There are no unused switches in a datacenter network that is built on NFT.

- It can be used by different business units.

The second last point is particularly important: one of the main goals of NFT is to allow independent management of various networks, separate areas and departments within a company, or even different companies. In order to achieve this goal, all logical entities must have their own network, but these networks must also have some connections between them.

The most common connection between different networks is the communication between customer data centers and provider's data center(s), because this approach allows to improve the customer's experience and to reduce costs. The connections between these data centers can be physical or virtual links, based on various technologies. This approach also opens up new opportunities, like creating special services (such as VoLTE and NFV) that are being used by mobile operators and also creating separate services for hosting providers.

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This article presents a more detailed description of what NFT really is, how it works and what business models must be used for the benefits of NFT to become a reality.

The following diagram illustrates a typical NFT network.

The network is based on virtualization, it is divided into logical entities, each of which has its own network with separate hardware, but this hardware must have some connections with the other networks and with the main office. The figure above illustrates a data center that contains three networks: "the hosting provider's infrastructure", "the back office systems" and "the applications".

The hosting provider uses two different types of switches: a physical switch for Ethernet and an IP router that acts as an interface between Ethernet and IP. There are also external connections between these three networks. Thus, the hosting provider's network is not completely separated from the other networks. However, the hosting provider can be viewed as a separate logical entity, because it has its own network and it doesn't have any data in the other networks. The hosting provider may have its own servers or some servers of other companies.

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The back office systems are managed by a different department and it also has its own physical switch for Ethernet and an IP router that acts as an interface between Ethernet and IP. The connection between these two logical entities is based on an Ethernet link that has been created automatically in each switch.