A fault management system for NFV

Abstract

NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) is attracting attention as a next-generation network technology. NFV is a technology allows existing network devices based on hardware to be resiliently managed by virtualization technology. Each network function, VNF (Virtual Network Function), runs on virtualized general purpose hardware and it is organized into a network service according to the user's requirements, which is performed by the MANO (Management and Orchestrator). The MANO shall include a separate fault management module to ensure high availability of VNF. This paper presents a system for resource monitoring and fault management in MANO. The proposed system monitors VNF, NFVI (NFV Infrastructure) in NFV environment. It also includes an alarm correlation process using the monitored information to find the source of the fault and find the appropriate action. Since faults in the NFV environment can generate a large number of alarms due to resources, VNFs, and the mutual influence between them, the correlation process selects the action defined by the user and location where to perform it.