Service Function Forwarder for vCPE Service Chaining
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an efficient mechanism to establish network function chaining, where packets must be forwarded along their service path across a set of network functions, regardless of their destination, within the context of virtual Customer Premise Equipment (vCPE) infrastructure in cloud-based network virtualization.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a virtual gateway (vG) and broadband residential gateway (BRG) interconnected by a tunnel, with a Tunnel End Point (TEP) function and Service Function Forwarder (SFF) to manage service chaining information embedded in Ethernet frames' MAC addresses, allowing packets to be processed through a chain of network functions based on service paths defined by customer-specific settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If services are moved from residential gateway to NSP datacenter using NFV, then service deployment flexibility and troubleshooting ease are improved, but network complexity and service chaining management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Service Function Forwarder (SFF) as an intermediary component that manages service chaining operations. The SFF receives service chain identifiers from ingress classifiers, translates them into actionable forwarding rules, and coordinates packet routing through multiple virtual network functions. This intermediary abstracts the complexity of service chaining management from the overall NFV system, enabling flexible service deployment while maintaining manageable network complexity through centralized control logic.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple service paths co-exist in vCPE infrastructure, then service customization for different customers is improved, but packet forwarding complexity and path selection difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing forwarding rules in the Service Function Forwarder for each possible service path before packets arrive. When service chaining operations are initiated, the SFF translates service chain identifiers into pre-configured forwarding rules that directly map to specific service paths. This preliminary configuration enables the system to handle multiple customized service paths efficiently, as the path selection complexity has already been resolved during rule setup rather than during real-time packet processing.
3Productivity
If packets are forwarded along service paths crossing multiple network functions, then service processing capability is improved, but forwarding overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple forwarding operations into a single service chain identifier-based routing decision. Instead of processing each packet through multiple independent forwarding stages across different network functions, the SFF consolidates the entire service path selection into one operation using pre-translated forwarding rules. This merging reduces the cumulative forwarding overhead and processing time that would otherwise accumulate across multiple sequential forwarding decisions, while still maintaining the capability to process packets through multiple service functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Network equipment (100) comprising at least one access point interface (103) and configured to operate a plurality of network functions (107), said network equipment (100) being configured to be in communication with at least one terminal (106) belonging to a network (105), wherein the network equipment (100) comprises at least one classifier (108A) configured to modify a data frame, coming from said one terminal (106) and received by the access point interface (103), by replacing an address of the data frame with processing information.