Kontron and CENGN to demonstrate OPNFV reference platform

Together, they will illustrate how the 'Danube' release of the OPNFV reference platform was used to deploy a vIMS (virtual IP multimedia sub-system) - from the open source Clearwater Project - as a containerised Virtual Network Function (VNF) using JOID-deployed bare metal Kubernetes on Kontron SYMKLOUD hardware.

Broadband and wireless operators can learn more with a one-on-one demo at the CENGN booth during the OPNFV Summit. This includes the build-up process and how this demo is a viable working Pharos Lab platform today, deployed on SYMKLOUD at CENGN. It will also be made available for OPNFV to develop additional tests to its Functest project before the end of August 2017.

As an OPNFV member and Pharos Lab host, CENGN works with operators and VNF vendors to remotely access each new release of OPNFV for interoperability and performance testing. Kontron has worked with CENGN since 'Brahmaputra' by providing infrastructure support for its Pharos Lab, one of 16 other member-run NFV community labs being used for continuous integration, deployment and testing across the world.

"This latest collaboration with CENGN neatly complements all our efforts to, not only market a fully validated turnkey OpenStack platform based on Ubuntu, but to also validate how flexible the SYMKLOUD platform is for equally exciting technologies such as containers," explained Benoit Robert, VP Strategy and Marketing at Kontron, communications business. "We see tremendous value in fully supporting CENGN in its efforts to help promote an open platform for NFV."

"This turned out to be a far more effortless project than expected," explained Dave Urschatz, Pharos Lab technical lead, at CENGN. "The Kubernetes setup on SYMKLOUD is entirely flexible to build up or tear down containerized functions in mere seconds. Operator attendees at OPNFV Summit will be able to see firsthand the early potential to run any wireless backhaul functions under this scenario."

CENGN has deployed in its Pharos Lab a 2U SYMKLOUD MS2910 converged infrastructure platform that supports up to 18 independent Intel Xeon D processors across nine modular server nodes. Its high density compute and redundant network switches help operators achieve up to a 70% OPEX reduction. As an OpenStack Platform the MS2910 natively integrates each new release based on Ubuntu OpenStack, fully supported by Kontron and Canonical.