Configuring VNFs on NFX350 Devices
The NFX350 devices enable you to instantiate and manage virtualized network functions (VNFs) from the Junos Control Plane (JCP). The JCP supports the creation and management of third-party VNFs.
Load a VNF Image
To configure a VNF, you must log in to the JCP:
user@host:~ # cliuser@host> To load a VNF image on the device from a remote location, use
the file-copy command.
You can save the VNF image in the /var/public directory if you are using up to two VNFs. If you are using more
than two VNFs, save the files on an external SSD. If you are using
an external SSD for VNFs, make sure to initialize and add the SSD
to the device. For more information, see Configuring the Solid State Disk on NFX350 Device.
user@host> file copy source-address /var/public For example:
user@host> file copy scp://192.0.2.0//tftpboot/centos.img
/var/public Alternatively, you can load a VNF image by using the NETCONF command, file-put.
Prepare the Bootstrap Configuration
You can bootstrap a VNF by attaching a CD-ROM, a USB storage device, or a config drive that contains a bootstrap-config ISO file.
For an example of creating an ISO file, see the procedure in Creating a vSRX Bootstrap ISO Image. The procedure might differ based on the operating system (for example, Linux, Ubuntu) that you use to create the ISO file.
A bootstrap configuration file must contain an initial configuration that allows the VNF to be accessible from an external controller, and accepts SSH, HTTP, or HTTPS connections from an external controller for further runtime configurations.
The system saves the bootstrap-config ISO file in the
/var/publicfolder. The file is saved only if the available space in the folder is more than double the total size of the contents in the file. If the available space in the folder is not sufficient, an error message is displayed when you commit the configuration.When you reboot the system, the system generates a new bootstrap-config ISO file and replaces the existing ISO file with the new ISO file on the VNF.
Allocate CPUs for a VNF
Table 1 lists the CPUs available for VNF usage for the NFX350 models.
Table 1: CPUs Available for VNF Usage (Junos OS 19.4R1 Release)
Model | CPUs Available for VNF Usage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Throughput Mode | Hybrid Mode | Compute Mode | |
NFX350-S1 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
NFX350-S2 | 0 | 10 | 14 |
NFX350-S3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
When you change the performance mode of the device, it is recommended to check the availability of the CPUs for VNFs.
To check the CPU availability and its status:
user@host> show system visibility cpuCPU Statistics (Time in sec) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU Id User Time System Time Idle Time Nice Time IOWait Time Intr. Service Time ------ --------- ----------- --------- --------- ----------- ------------------ 0 7762 1475 60539 0 84 0 1 191 511 70218 0 10 0 2 102 32 70841 0 12 0 3 0 0 70999 0 0 0 4 0 0 70999 0 0 0 5 0 0 70999 0 0 0 6 70949 0 50 0 0 0 7 9005 532 59602 0 0 0 8 23 7 70966 0 0 0 9 21 7 70969 0 0 0 10 20 6 70969 0 0 0 11 18 6 70970 0 0 0 CPU Usages ---------------- CPU Id CPU Usage ------ --------- 0 17.899999999999999 1 0.0 2 0.0 3 0.0 4 0.0 5 0.0 6 100.0 7 15.199999999999999 8 0.0 9 0.0 10 0.0 11 0.0 CPU Pinning Information ------------------------------------ Virtual Machine vCPU CPU --------------------------- ---- --- vjunos0 0 0 System Component CPUs ------------------------------- -------- ovs-vswitchd 0, 6
user@host> show vmhost modeStarting network management services: snmpd libvirtMib_subagent. Synchronizing UEFI key-store: Failed to get revocation list: 2 Juniper Dev keys are not revoked. Doing nothing cp: cannot stat '/var/platform/lte_vm_xml_params': No such file or directory rm: cannot remove '/lib/udev/rules.d/lte_usb.rules': No such file or directory Mode: -------- Current Mode: compute CPU Allocations: Name Configured Used ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Junos Control Plane 8 3,8 Juniper Device Manager 8 8 LTE 8 - NFV Backplane Control Path 8 8 NFV Backplane Data Path 1 1 Layer 2 Control Path - - Layer 2 Data Path - - Layer 3 Control Path 0 0 Layer 3 Data Path 2 2 CPUs available for VNFs 3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14,15 - CPUs turned off 9,10 - Memory Allocations: Name Configured Used ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Junos Control Plane (mB) 2048 2011 NFV Backplane 1G hugepages 4 8 NFV Backplane 2M hugepages - 0 Layer 2 1G hugepages - - Layer 2 2M hugepages - - Layer 3 1G hugepages 4 4 Layer 3 2M hugepages 5633 5377
The CPUs available for VNFs section in the output message shows the CPUs that are available to onboard VNFs.
vjunos0 is a system VNF, you cannot modify the CPU allocation for the vjunos0.
To specify the number of virtual CPUs that are required for a VNF:
- Specify the number of CPUs required for the VNF:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name virtual-cpu count number - Connect a virtual CPU to a physical CPU:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name virtual-cpu vcpu-number physical-cpu pcpu-number - Commit the configuration:
user@host# commit
The physical CPU number can be either a number or a number range. By default, a VNF is allocated one virtual CPU that is not connected to any physical CPU.
You cannot change the CPU configuration of a VNF while the VNF is running. You must restart the VNF for the changes to take effect.
To enable hardware virtualization or hardware acceleration for VNF CPUs:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name virtual-cpu features hardware-virtualizationAllocate Memory for a VNF
By default, a certain amount of memory is allocated for VNFs. Table 2 lists the possible memory availability for VNF usage for the NFX350 models.
Table 2: Memory Availability for VNF Usage
Model | Memory Availability for VNF Usage (Junos OS 19.4R1 Release) | Hugepages Availability for VNF Usage (Junos OS 19.4R1 Release) |
|---|---|---|
NFX350-S1 | 32 GB | 7 1G hugepages |
NFX350-S2 | 64 GB | 23 1G hugepages |
NFX350-S3 | 128 GB | 62 1G hugepages |
To check the available memory:
user@host> show system visibility memoryMemory Information ------------------ Virtual Memory: --------------- Total (KiB): 15914364 Used (KiB): 13179424 Available (KiB): 3087076 Free (KiB): 2734940 Percent Used : 80.6 Huge Pages: ------------ Total 1GiB Huge Pages: 7 Free 1GiB Huge Pages: 5 Configured 1GiB Huge Pages: 5 Total 2MiB Huge Pages: 1376 Free 2MiB Huge Pages: 1 Configured 2MiB Huge Pages: 0 Hugepages Usage: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Type Used 1G Hugepages Used 2M Hugepages --------------------------------- ---------------------------------- ------------------ ------------------ srxpfe other process 1 1375 ovs-vswitchd other process 2 0
vjunos0 is a system VNF, you cannot modify the memory allocation for the vjunos0.
To specify the maximum primary memory that the VNF can use:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name memory size sizeYou cannot change the memory configuration of a VNF while the VNF is running. You must restart the VNF for the changes to take effect.
Configure Interfaces and VLANs for a VNF
You can configure a VNF interface and attach the interface to a physical NIC port, a management interface, or VLANs.
To attach a VNF interface to a physical NIC port by using the SR-IOV virtual function:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name interfaces interface-name mapping physical-interface-name virtual-function
[vlan-id vlan-id]vlan-id is the VLAN ID of the port and is an optional value.
To attach a VNF interface to a VLAN:
Create a VLAN:
user@host# set vmhost vlan vlan-nameAttach a VNF interface to a VLAN:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name interfaces interface-name mapping vlan members list-of-vlans [mode trunk|access]
The interfaces attached to a VNF are persistent across VNF restarts.
If the VNF supports hot-plugging, you can attach the interfaces while the VNF is running. Otherwise, you must add the interfaces, and then restart the VNF.
You cannot change the mapping of a VNF interface while the VNF is running.
You can prevent the VNF interface from sending or receiving traffic by using the deny-forwarding CLI option.
If the deny-forwarding option is enabled on an interface that is a part of cross-connect, then the cross-connect status goes down and drops all traffic.
set virtual-network-options vnf-name interface interface-name forwarding-options
deny-forwardingTo specify the target PCI address for a VNF interface:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name interfaces interface-name pci-address target-pci-addressYou can use the target PCI address to rename or reorganize interfaces within the VNF.
For example, a Linux-based VNF can use udev rules within the VNF to name the interface based on the PCI address.
The target PCI address string should be in the following format:
0000:00:<slot:>:0, which are the values for domain:bus:slot:function. The value for slot should be different for each VNF interface. The values for domain, bus, and function should be zero.
You cannot change the target PCI address of VNF interface while the VNF is running.
To delete a VNF interface:
user@host# delete virtual-network-functions vnf-name interfaces interface-nameuser@host# commitTo delete a VNF interface, you must stop the VNF, delete the interface, and then restart the VNF.
After attaching or detaching a virtual function, you must restart the VNF for the changes to take effect.
eth0 and eth1 are reserved for the default VNF interfaces that are connected to the internal network and the out-of-band management network. Therefore, the configurable VNF interface names start from eth2.
Within a VNF, the interface names can be different, based on guest OS naming conventions. VNF interfaces that are configured in the JCP might not appear in the same order within the VNF.
You must use the target PCI addresses to map to the VNF interfaces that are configured in the JCP and you must name them accordingly.
Configure Storage Devices for VNFs
An NFX350 device supports the following storage options for VNFs:
CD-ROM
Disk
USB
To add a virtual CD or to update the source file of a virtual CD:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name storage device-name type
cdrom source file file-nameYou can specify a valid device name in the format hdx, sdx, or vdx—for example, hdb, sdc, vdb, and so on.
To add a virtual USB storage device:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name storage device-name type
usb source file file-nameTo attach an additional hard disk:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name storage device-name type
disk [bus-type virtio | ide] [file-type raw | qcow2] source file file-nameTo delete a virtual CD, USB storage device, or hard disk from the VNF:
user@host# delete virtual-network-functions vnf-name storage device-nameAfter attaching or detaching a CD from a VNF, you must restart the device for the changes to take effect. The CD detach operation fails if the device is in use within the VNF.
A VNF supports one virtual CD, one virtual USB storage device, and multiple virtual hard disks.
You can update the source file in a CD or USB storage device while the VNF is running.
You must save the source file in the
/var/publicdirectory, and the file must have read and write permission for all users.
Instantiate a VNF
You can instantiate a VNF by configuring the VNF name, and by specifying the path of an image.
While instantiating a VNF with an image, two VNF interfaces are added by default. These interfaces are required for management and for the internal network.
Only QCOW2, IMG, and RAW image types are supported.
To instantiate a VNF by using an image:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name image file-pathuser@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name image image-type image-typeuser@host# commitWhen you configure VNFs, do not use VNF names in the format vnfn—for example, vnf1, vnf2, and so on. Configurations that contain such names fail to commit.
(Optional) To specify a UUID for the VNF:
user@host# set virtual-network-functions vnf-name [uuid vnf-uuid]uuid is an optional parameter. We recommend that you allow the system to allocate a UUID for the VNF.
You cannot change the image configuration for a VNF after saving and committing the configuration. To change the image for a VNF, you must delete the VNF and create a VNF again.
Verify the VNF Instantiation
To verify that the VNF is instantiated successfully:
user@host> show virtual-network-functions ID Name State Liveliness -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 vjunos0 Running alive 2 centos1 Running alive 3 centos2 Running alive
The output in the Liveliness field of a VNF indicates whether the IP address of the VNF is reachable over the internal management network. The default IP address of the liveliness bridge is 192.0.2.1/24. Note that this IP address is internal to the device and is used for VNF management.