With the large-scale construction of optical fiber access networks, more and more users and services are accessed, and network traffic visualization has become a basic operation and maintenance requirement. Network traffic visualization is of great value in network planning, network security, and service quality analysis. However, in existing operator networks, it is difficult to support these functions due to insufficient access equipment capabilities. Based on this, ZTE proposed a traffic visualization solution based on OLT (Optical Line Terminal) built-in blade servers to meet the needs of operators for visualization of network traffic.
Key requirements for access network traffic visualization
The visual requirements of operators for optical fiber access networks are multi-faceted and multi-level, including not only functional and performance requirements, but also the advanced technology adopted, the flexibility of deployment, and subsequent scalability.
-Multi-level visualization requirements: Multi-level visualization includes network equipment, pipeline connections, and business flow visualization. The visualization of status information and traffic statistics of network equipment and ports is the most basic requirement. Present EMS functions are also available, but the information frequency and granularity are not enough, and new technologies such as Telemetry need to be used to improve; visualization of pipeline connections mainly refers to the KPI characteristic monitoring and visual presentation of PON&Ethernet connection in the access network.
-Enhanced access network operation and maintenance methods: The access network is a key area that affects the quality of user service experience and a high-prone area of network failures. According to statistics, 80% of experience quality problems and network failures occur in the access network.
-Flexible deployment, key guarantee: The operator’s network faces a large number of users, and most users access Internet services. Large-scale, large-scale testing of all users and all businesses is costly. Operators generally require long-term quality inspection and analysis of key areas, key services and key users.
-Nearest deployment: MDI, DPI, IPFIX and other detection methods are deployed close to the user, which can more truly reflect the user experience and facilitate fault location.
-Advanced technology, open and scalable: Operators hope to introduce effective advanced operation and maintenance technologies from data centers and enterprise networks, such as Telemetry, sFlow and IPFIX technologies, and even business DPI technologies; at the same time, they also hope to be able to expand and upgrade flexibly operation and maintenance means, and even easy to load third-party operation and maintenance tools.
Light Cloud traffic visualization solution architecture
ZTE launched the Light Cloud traffic visualization solution in due course, and its system architecture is shown in Figure 1. Among them, various information collection and output in the OLT equipment can be assisted by the built-in blade server. On the one hand, it can make up for the insufficient capacity of the original OLT equipment, and on the other hand, it can be deployed on demand. Other OLT boards only need to support flow mirroring, limited status and statistical information reporting functions. Flow analysis, statistics, format processing, data caching and other functions can be offloaded to the built-in blade server for processing. In this way, it can even support the flow data analysis, statistics and format output functions of other equipment in the same computer room.
In the face of operators’ access network traffic visualization needs, ZTE’s Light Cloud traffic visualization solution can not only meet the needs of rapid fault location, but also characterize network traffic in multiple dimensions, ensure network security, provide long-term service quality detection and analysis, and provide network operation and maintenance with strong support.
