CHAPTER 5
Virtual Network Functions
•
Understanding Virtual Network Functions on page 105
•
Managing the VNF Life Cycle on page 106
Understanding Virtual Network Functions
Virtualized network functions (VNFs) include all virtual entities that can be launched and
managed from the Juniper Device Manager (JDM). Currently, virtual machines (VMs) are
the only VNF type that is supported.
There are several components in a JDM environment:
•
JDM—Manages the life cycle for all service VMs. JDM also provides a CLI with
configuration persistence or the ability to use NETCONF for scripting and automation.
•
Primary Junos OS VM—A system VM that is the primary virtual device. This VM is always
present when the system is running.
•
Other Junos OS VMs—These VMs are service VMs and are activated dynamically by
an external controller. A typical example of this type of VM is a vSRX instance.
•
Third-party VNFs—JDM supports the creation and management of third-party VMs
such as Ubuntu Linux VMs.
The JDM architecture provides an internal network that connects all VMs to the JDM as
shown in Figure 12 on page 105.
Figure 12: Network Connections Between JDM and the VMs
The JDM can reach any VNF using an internal network (192.168.1.0/24).
A VNF can own or share management ports and NIC ports in the system.
105Copyright © 2017, Juniper Networks, Inc.