The demo is composed of three scenes presenting tools and results from the Superfluidity project. 1) RDCL 3D is an extensible web framework which can be used to: edit, validate, visualize service and component descriptors expressed with different modelling languages (RDCLs); deploy the component / services over execution platforms. 2) Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service). An end-to-end wireless network is described as a chain of RFBs (Reusable Functional Blocks) with RDCL 3D. This chain is dynamically instantiated in a cloud environment using containers. The demonstration shows a full software solution orchestrating different RFBs (RAN and CORE) over Central/EDGE/Front-End clouds. The fronthaul network is also made reprogrammable through SDN, which is also deployed as RFBs. 3) Orchestration of micro-VNFs (Unikernels). We have added support for Unikernels (ClickOS) in the XEN hypervisor and in OpenVIM Virtual Infrastructure Manager. Regular VMs (XEN HVM) and Unikernels can run together in the same infrastructure. In the demo we dynamically instantiate an end-to-end service on the infrastructure by chaining regular VMs and Unikernel-based VNFs.

1. Superfluid Orchestration of heterogeneous RFBs
(Reusable Functional Blocks) for 5G networks
Superfluidity project – http://superfluidity.eu/
Live demo @ EuCNC 2017, Oulu, Finland, June 11th 2017
Stefano Salsano(1,2), Francesco Lombardo(1), Bessem Sayadi(3), Lionel Natarriani(3)
(1) CNIT, Italy – (2) Univ. of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy – (3) Nokia Bell Labs, France
A super-fluid, cloud-native, converged edge system

2. Outline
• RDCL 3D tool
RFB Description and Composition Language Design Deploy and Direct
RFB : Reusable Functional Block
• Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• Orchestration of micro-VNFs (Unikernels)
2

3. Outline
• RDCL 3D tool
RFB Description and Composition Language Design Deploy and Direct
RFB : Reusable Functional Block
• Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• Orchestration of micro-VNFs (Unikernels)
3

4. RDCL 3D : an open and versatile tool
• RDCL 3D is an extensible web framework which can be used to:
– edit, validate, visualize service and component descriptors
expressed with different modelling languages (RDCLs)
– deploy the component / services over execution platforms
4

5. RDCL 3D : an open and versatile tool
5
Repositories
NSD
NSD
NSD
NS Catalogue
NSD
NSD
VNFD
VNF Catalogue
<2>
RDCL 3D
<4>
RDCL 3D
<1>
RDCL 3D
<3>
RDCL 3D 1. Standalone tool
to edit NS and VNF
descriptors
2. Meta
orchestrator
3. Orchestrator
prototypes
4. GUI library
for orchestrators

6. RDCL 3D example screenshot
6

7. Outline
• RDCL 3D tool
RFB Description and Composition Language Design Deploy and Direct
RFB : Reusable Functional Block
• Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• Orchestration of micro-VNFs (Unikernels)
7

8. Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• An end-to-end wireless network is described as a chain of RFBs
(Reusable Functional Blocks) with RDCL 3D.
• This chain is dynamically instantiated in a cloud environment using
containers.
• The demonstration shows a full software solution orchestrating
different RFBs (RAN and CORE) over Central/EDGE/Front-End
clouds.
• The fronthaul network is also made reprogrammable through SDN,
which is also deployed as RFBs.
8

9. Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• We show the complete deployment of a RAN over this Cloud
Infrastructure, starting from the RDCL 3D descriptors
Node B
Node C
Node D
Node A
Node E
Cloud InfrastructureCloud InfrastructureCloud Infrastructure

10. Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• This is the deployed RAN, which includes:
– RRH, BBU, ONOS SDN controller, intent based programming,
a set of OvS switches, a set of CORE RFBs
Cloud InfrastructureCloud InfrastructureCloud Infrastructure
Node B
Node C
Node D
Node A
Node E
Orchestrator
RDCL3D
5G RFB
repository
SDN Controller
CORE (RFBs)
RRH-GW BBUUSRP
2
13
4
56
7
UE

11. Outline
• RDCL 3D tool
RFB Description and Composition Language Design Deploy and Direct
RFB : Reusable Functional Block
• Software defined wireless network (RAN as a Service)
• Orchestration of micro-VNFs (Unikernels)
11

12. Orchestration of micro-VNFs (Unikernels)
• We have added support for Unikernels (ClickOS) in the XEN
hypervisor and in OpenVIM Virtual Infrastructure Manager
• Regular VMs (XEN HVM) and Unikernels can run together in the
same infrastructure
• In the demo we dynamically instantiate an end-to-end service on
the infrastructure by chaining regular VMs and Unikernel-based
VNFs.
12

13. Orchestrations of micro VNFs (Unikernels)
13
Orchestrator
RDCL 3D
VIM
OpenVIM
XEN
We enhanced XEN to
support both regular VMs
(HVM) and Click Unikernels
NSD
NSD
NSD
ETSI release 2
descriptors
NSD
NSD
VNFD
Our orchestrator
prototype
(RDCL 3D) uses
the enhanced VDU
descriptors and
interacts with
OpenVIM
OpenVIM has been
enhanced to support
XEN and Unikernels

14. Orchestrations of micro VNFs (Unikernels)
14
This is a regular
VM (XEN HVM)
These are 3
Unikernel VMs
(ClickOS)

15. Questions?
Contacts
Stefano Salsano Bessem Sayadi
Superfluidity project manager Superfluidity technical manager
University of Rome Tor Vergata / CNIT Nokia Bell Labs France
stefano.salsano@uniroma2.it bessem.sayadi@nokia-bell-labs.com
The RDCL 3D tool is available on github (Apache 2.0 license)
https://github.com/superfluidity/RDCL3D
http://superfluidity.eu/
The work presented here only covers a subset of the work performed in the project
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16. References
• SUPERFLUIDITY project Home Page http://superfluidity.eu/
• G. Bianchi, et al. “Superfluidity: a flexible functional architecture for 5G networks”, Transactions on
Emerging Telecommunications Technologies 27, no. 9, Sep 2016
• S. Salsano, F. Lombardo, C. Pisa, P. Greto, N. Blefari-Melazzi,
“RDCL 3D, a Model Agnostic Web Framework for the Design and Composition of NFV Services”,
submitted paper, https://arxiv.org/abs/1702.08242
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17. The SUPERFLUIDITY project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon
2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.671566
(Research and Innovation Action).
The information given is the author’s view and does not necessarily represent the view
of the European Commission (EC). No liability is accepted for any use that may be
made of the information contained.
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