Hi. I'm Sujata from Intel. In this video, we give an overview of network services benchmarking, or NSB, and how it helps move the industry forward to adopt NFV, network function virtualization, and SDN, software-defined networking. 

One of the problems in adopting NFV and SDN is the absence of a test framework that can characterize and benchmark solutions provided by different vendors on a common platform. NSB is a community-driven solution that helps standardize benchmarks and characterization to what's repeatable and automated ways of testing. NSB is part of Yardstick framework that does NFV infrastructure and VNF characterization and benchmarking in three different execution environments-- Bare Metal, or a native Linux environment, standalone virtual environment, and managed virtual environment, like OpenStack. 

It also brings in the capability to interact with external traffic generators, both hardware- and software-based. These traffic generators can trigger and validate the traffic according to user defined profiles. NSB extension includes generic data models of network services based on ETSI Spec, ETSI GS, and NFV-TST 001. New standalone contacts for VNF testing, like SR-IOV, OVS, OVS-DPDK, et cetera. 

Generic VNF configuration models and metrics implemented with Python classes, traffic-generated features, and traffic profiles like L-1 to L-7 traffic profiles, tunnelling protocols, and network overlay support. Testing samples, such as Ping and TREX, sample VNFs such as vPE vCG-NAT, and V-Firewall, traffic generators such as TREX, IXIA, and IPERF. KPIs for NFVI-- this includes CPU statistics and OVS-DPDK statistics. Network KPIs, such as inpackets, outpackets, throughput, and latency, and VNF KPIs such as packet in, packet drop, and packet forward. 

The Yardstick NSB extension can support multiple VNFs created by different vendors, including traffic generators. Every VNF being tested has its own data model. In summary, NSB is a single-tool environment for characterization and benchmarking of all three-- VNF, network services, and NFVI KPIs. 

The project scope is to develop a test framework, test cases, and reference VNFs. Intel is working with Yardstick and OP and FV open source communities, ISV vendors, testing services companies, communication service providers, OSVs and SIs, to contribute to the NSB test cases and the framework itself. 

If you are working on a VNF or involved in development of an NFVI framework, we would love to hear from you. You can contribute to and test with NSB, and even participate with the community at an upcoming OPNFV/ETSI Plugfest by following the links provided. Thanks for watching, and don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the Intel Software YouTube channel.