By Kevin Dunsmore, with Rhonda Holloway
The Virtuora® Product Suite is a collection of software products that makes network management a breeze. A distinct advantage of the Virtuora™ software platform is its use of YANG models. These models are unique in that when someone tweaks a part of the model, the associated REST/RESTCONF is automatically generated upon recompiling. This new data becomes available via the API the moment recompiling is complete.
This ability is unique to Fujitsu. Other SDN platforms use YANG models, but not in the way Virtuora does. Some vendors have built their tools using Java and other programming languages. Whenever they want to change a driver, they must change their internal programming code and make the driver available via northbound APIs. This is extremely tedious and time-consuming, and there’s always the risk of “breaking” something if the code contains errors. On top of this, special code is typically required to “activate” and “delete” nodes, compounding the issue. As a result, many customers complain of long lags in getting new or enhanced support for SDN platforms.
Virtuora fixes this time lag problem through the implementation of YANG models. Here you can simply add or change a data element, recompile the model, and the new information instantly becomes available via REST. There’s no pulling apart code written in Java or another programming language to add or change anything. Combined with OpenDaylight, the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) is handled in one swift transaction. What takes another platform six months to do, Virtuora can do in one.
Think of YANG as your car’s gasoline. The controller is the engine, providing the power for the entire car to run. Applications are the steering wheel, giving users the control to drive Virtuora in the direction they please. YANG is the gasoline that ties the process together, giving the controller and applications the ability to run together and never out of sync. A small change to the steering well, or a modified engine part won’t affect the car’s ability to drive, because the gasoline will continue to adjust to the changes and keep the car running.
For a good example of how Fujitsu implements YANG models into our products, look at 1FINITY. Each 1FINITY blade has a YANG model, making it easy to include provisioning and management in a network-wide element management function. With YANG already working so well in our 1FINITY solution, we’re excited to include it in Virtuora.
The relationship between different models will need to be maintained. Luckily, Fujitsu has software support contracts that handle any changes made to the model. The underlying platform–OpenDaylight and, eventually, ONOS – handle “activate” and “delete” operations for us. Finally, Fujitsu is in discussions to develop a Software Development Kit (SDK) that would automatically ensure a change in one model is reflected in others.
At Fujitsu, we’re working hard to ensure that our customers have a smooth and productive experience using the Virtuora Product Suite. Our Services Support team is dedicated to working with each customer and handling all changes that need to be made. Our goal is to make the implementation process as quick and painless as possible. Thanks to our use of YANG models, we can make that happen.