Transport Network Function Virtualization

In this paper, we present a network function virtualization (NFV) architecture to deploy different virtualized network functions (VNF) on an optical transport network. NFV concepts do not only apply to data plane functions (i.e., packet processing or forwarding), but also to control plane functions, such as path computation. First, we focus on the IT and network resources that are virtualized to provide the required VNFs. Second, we provide an example of VNF on top of the virtualized infrastructure, by proposing a path computation element (PCE) architecture to deploy a PCE by means of NFV. The instances of the virtualized PCE are deployed on demand, but they are perceived as a single-network element. We present the benefits of such approach by providing experimental validation.