This document discusses Cloud Native Network Functions (CNFs) and provides an overview of the GW Tester project, which aims to provide an example CNF implementation. It includes links to resources that define CNFs and cloud native principles. The GW Tester project code is open source and focuses on portability, realism, and usefulness through the use of annotations, sidecars, and Helm charts to deploy CNFs on immutable infrastructure managed by an orchestrator using microservices.

1. GW Tester
CNF Reference initiative
Victor Morales

2. CNFs, CNFs, CNFs…
What is a Cloud Native Network Function (CNF)?
In order to talk about CNFs, we need to define
cloud native [1]. Cloud native systems are, among
other things, a set of loosely coupled services.
These services, also known as microservices, are
deployed onto immutable infrastructure while
being managed by an orchestrator. This paper
includes four links to other papers that detail the
definitions of cloud native, microservices,
immutable infrastructure, and CNFs from an OSI
layer perspective.
https://networking.cloud-native-principles.org/

3. Design
The Cloud Native Network Function WG
(CNF WG) focus is to define the process
around evaluating the cloud nativeness
of networking applications, aka CNFs.
https://github.com/cncf/cnf-wg

4. Coding…

5. GW Tester project
Provide an example of a CNF implementation.
• Portable
• Realistic
• Useful
https://github.com/gw-tester/

6. Multiple NICs - Scenario
Multus and DANM
annotations can coexist
in a Pod/Deployment
definition

7. Multiple NICs –
Scenario (cont.)
NSM requires different
approach

8. Multiple NICs – Goal Annotations can help
to make CNFs portable

9. NSM requirements

10. NSE Generic sidecar
https://github.com/gw-tester/nse
A NSE sidecar implementation
that uses:
• Multiple services per one
endpoint
• DownwardAPI feature

11. NSE Webhook Injector
A Kubernetes Mutating Admission Webhook server
that injects the NSE Generic sidecar

12. GW Tester – Helm charts
https://github.com/gw-tester/helm-charts

13. Backup

14. Naming NICs - Scenario
Deterministic approach

15. Naming NICs – Scenario (cont.)
Semi-deterministic
approach

16. Naming NICs – Scenario
(cont.)
Auto discovery approach with
network awareness
https://github.com/networkservicemesh/networkse
rvicemesh/blob/v0.2.0/sdk/endpoint/connection.go
#L83

17. GW Tester – IP discover (go-lang)
https://github.com/gw-tester/ip-discover