July 20, 2023
Castelldefels, Spain. July 14th, 2023: ETSI Open Source Group TeraFlowSDN have just announced the release 2.1 of TeraFlowSDN controller, an innovative and robust SDN orchestrator and controller.
TeraFlow project, funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020 Programme, and the ETSI TeraFlowSDN community have launched the release 2.1 of the TeraFlowSDN controller, an innovative and robust SDN orchestrator and controller.
TeraFlowSDN 2.1 focuses on delivering high performance, seamless hardware integration, advanced SDN automation, transport network slicing and multi-tenancy, cyberthreat analysis and protection, distributed ledger and smart contracts, as well as interworking capabilities across Beyond 5G networks. With these ground-breaking advancements, TeraFlowSDN continues to redefine the possibilities of SDN technology.
“Our TeraFlowSDN release 2.1 provides the necessary scalability and enhancements to support SDN adoption by the SDN community. Cloud-native SDN is the next evolution for transport networks and TeraFlowSDN is paving the way”, said Ricard Vilalta, Research Director at CTTC and Chair of ETSI TeraFlowSDN.
The key highlights of TeraFlowSDN 2.1 include:
High Performance SDN Framework
In this release, TeraFlowSDN enables multiple TFS instances to be deployed within the same MicroK8s environment, offering enhanced flexibility and scalability. Additionally, the introduction of the metrics collection framework leverages the linkerd service mesh in the deploy/tfs.sh script. The deployment process has been optimized to use the Grafana instance provided by the monitoring MicroK8s addon, eliminating the need for a standalone Grafana installation. These improvements enhance the performance and monitoring capabilities of the TeraFlowSDN framework.
Hardware and L0/L3 Multi-Layer Integration
TeraFlowSDN 2.1 introduces seamless integration with hardware and L0/L3 layers. Users can now create XR services directly from the test tool, allowing for demonstrations without a complex multi-layer setup. The OpenConfig Driver has undergone revision, incorporating updated L2NM/L3NM Configuration Rules. Additionally, the Load Generator now includes improved L2/L3 services. These enhancements simplify network management and provide a seamless user experience.
SDN Automation
TeraFlowSDN 2.1 offers powerful automation capabilities. The monitoring system has been refined to ensure accurate parsing and checking of KPI value ranges. Metrics collection has been enabled in the Policy component, along with the deployment of necessary resources and an autoscaler. The WebUI has been updated to include a dedicated Policy tab, streamlining policy management, and making it more accessible to users.
Transport Network Slicing and Multi-Tenancy
With TeraFlowSDN 2.1, transport network slicing and multi-tenancy become even more flexible and customizable. Slice Grouping functionality is now available, with the option to activate or deactivate it using environment variables. The implementation of the IETF Slice NBI empowers users with greater control over network slicing, facilitating efficient multi-tenancy management.
Cyberthreat Analysis and Protection
TeraFlowSDN 2.1 includes extensive enhancements to its cybersecurity capabilities. The L3 components have been updated for improved scalability and migrated to the TeraFlowSDN 2 architecture. An updated AI/ML model has been integrated to detect cybersecurity attacks effectively. Furthermore, the framework now supports horizontal scalability, centralizing attack detection and mitigation. The addition of a Cybersecurity Grafana dashboard provides comprehensive visualization and monitoring of cybersecurity metrics.
Distributed Ledger and Smart Contracts
With the introduction of TeraFlowSDN 2.1, users gain access to a powerful Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) performance assessment tool. This tool allows users to evaluate the performance and efficiency of DLT within the TeraFlowSDN framework, paving the way for secure and scalable smart contract deployments.
Interworking Across Beyond 5G Networks
TeraFlowSDN 2.1 introduces several significant improvements, including partial fixes for the OECC/PSC'22 test, enhancements to the InterDomain component, and various other improvements, ensuring seamless interworking across Beyond 5G networks.
TeraFlowSDN 2.1 represents a major leap forward in software-defined networking, empowering network operators with unparalleled capabilities and performance. With its focus on high performance, seamless integration, automation, slicing, cybersecurity, distributed ledger, and interworking, TeraFlowSDN is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the networking industry.
The source code of TeraFlowSDN is publicly available under the Apache Software License 2.0 for download and installation at https://labs.etsi.org/rep/tfs/controller. TeraFlowSDN release 3.0 is planned for December 2023 and it will include more novel features.
