Accelerate 5G service deployments
and simplify network operations with Azure Operator Nexus,
a hybrid cloud platform that is purpose-built
to run high-performance container network functions
and virtual network functions.
In this demonstration, we will walk through
how Operator Nexus delivers a consistent, reliable,
and scalable network function deployment automation
for multi-vendor 5G network functions.
Azure Operator Nexus simplifies 5G service deployment
by delivering an integrated solution that includes
managed network fabric automation
and integrated network packet broker,
hybrid Azure Kubernetes service
with features such as SR-IOV, DPDK,
and CPU pinning for efficient data plane processing,
and a reliable and scalable
network function deployment automation
using Azure Operator Service Manager,
all delivered using Azure Resource Manager APIs.
Operator Nexus APIs enable frictionless integration
with third-party network function managers
and network service orchestrators
to deliver complete solutions
for network function deployment and service orchestration.
We will now switch to the Azure portal
to demonstrate an end-to-end deployment
of container network function
that includes network fabric, tenant infrastructure,
and application artifacts
for Azure Operator 5G Core Session Management Function, SMF,
to an Operator Nexus cluster.
First, we will use the managed network fabric service
to create a layer three isolation domain.
We will create an external network
for the layer three isolation domain
that will enable the SMF
to communicate with the operator wide area network.
We will then add an internal network
to the layer three isolation domain that enables the SMF
to communicate with other 5G network functions
in the Operator Nexus cluster using standard BGP protocol.
Next, we will create
a hybrid Azure Kubernetes service cluster
that will be used to run the Azure Operator 5G Core SMF.
We will attach a cloud services network
to the hybrid AKS cluster that will be used
by the SMF application to communicate
with Azure services such as Azure Container Registry,
Azure Monitor.
We will also add a default CNI network to the cluster
using the network fabric layer three isolation domain
that we previously created.
The default CNI network enables BGP communication
for the SMF container network function
with other network functions in the Operator Nexus cluster.
In the final step,
we will use the Azure Operator Service Manager catalog
to discover the correct network function design version
for the Azure Operator 5G Core Session Management Function
and use the network function deployment APIs
to deploy the application artifacts
to the hybrid AKS cluster.
We will start the deployment
with the network fabric automation service.
This will take us
to the layer three isolation domain resource
where we will select the Azure subscription, resource group,
and network fabric reference that is already running
in the Operator Nexus cluster.
We will now create the external network
by providing the BGP configuration
for the SMF communication
with the operator wide area network.
We will then create the internal network
by providing the BGP configuration for communication
with other network functions in the Operator Nexus cluster.
We will set the IP MTU value to 9,000
to enable jumbo frames for the SMF application.
The isolation domain, internal network,
and external network properties are successfully validated
and now we will apply the configuration
to the network fabric.
The network fabric is now configured for communication
from the SMF cluster to other applications
inside the cluster
and towards the operator wide area network.
We will now start the hybrid AKS cluster creation process
by providing the Operator Nexus cluster reference
and the Kubernetes version that is validated
for the SMF application.
We will create the cloud services network
with the tenant proxy settings
for different Azure services
that the SMF application requires to communicate with.
We will also create the default CNI network using
the network fabric layer three isolation domain reference
that we previously created.
We will provide the load balancer configuration
and the BGP configuration for the SMF
to communicate with other network functions.
Finally, we will provide the node sizes
for the load balancer, control nodes,
and worker node virtual machines
that make up the SMF hybrid AKS cluster.
The hybrid AKS cluster is now successfully deployed
and ready to run the SMF network function.
We will now deploy the SMF container network function
from the Azure portal using Azure Operator Service Manager.
A network function designed
for the Azure Operator 5G Core Session Management Function
with all the artifacts has been onboarded
to the centralized catalog using the publisher API
with the operator service manager.
The network function design version is also validated
for deployment automation
in the Microsoft pre-certification labs.
We will also provide hybrid AKS cluster
that we previously created
and the site-specific initial configuration values.
Now we're ready to deploy the Operator 5G Core SMF
to the hybrid AKS cluster.
The Operator 5G Core SMF application
is now successfully deployed to the hybrid AKS cluster
and ready for additional provisioning.
After the SMF application is provisioned,
we can easily set up a simulated call model
for the SMF application using test tools
such as Spirent or DS Test.
We can also visualize the SMF call control dashboard
by connecting to the SMF hybrid AKS cluster.
Operator Nexus delivers a robust ecosystem
of third party network functions
with the Azure Operator Nexus Ready Program.
Operators can now deploy and run
certified container network functions
and virtual network functions from the centralized catalog.
In this example, we have a Juniper VSRX firewall
that has been onboarded to the centralized catalog
after rigorous certification in the pre-certification lab.
This enables consistent, repeatable,
and scalable deployment automation for operators
building 5G services with multi-vendor network functions.
In conclusion, this demonstration shows the capability
of Azure Operator Nexus APIs
to provide an end-to-end deployment solution
for network fabric, tenant infrastructure and container,
and virtual network functions.
The APIs enable efficient and automated management
of specialized network functions
and accelerates new 5G service deployments.
To learn more, visit aka.ms/OperatorNexus.