Configuring SBC SWe on Cloud

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Similar to other types of SBC Core deployments, you can configure an SBC SWe deployed in an OpenStack cloud by directly accessing its CLI or EMA UI. However, in virtualized environments, you can also deploy SBC nodes as clusters. An SBC cluster can contain one to many nodes, but the cluster presents the nodes as a single, logical SBC service.

To present the combined node capabilities in this way, clustered nodes are configured with a common, homogeneous configuration. SBC SWe supports two cluster configuration models to support different types of SBC deployments: OAM and Direct Single. For both models, the Insight EMS provides cluster management including a storage repository for cluster configurations. This repository enables reverting a cluster to a prior configuration or copying a configuration to a new cluster.

OAM Node Configuration

The OAM node configuration model incorporates a 1:1 HA pair of dedicated Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) nodes to configure and manage SBC nodes in N:1 distributed deployments. In an N:1 deployment, multiple nodes (up to 4) are active at the same time and the active nodes are backed up by a single backup node.

SBC Clusters with OAM Nodes

The OAM node provides the northbound interface for the VNF, including SSH/CLI, NetConf, and REST interfaces. You use the OAM node interfaces to configure the cluster. The OAM node holds the active cluster configuration and is responsible for disseminating the cluster configuration to the SBC nodes within the cluster. Although the nodes register with the EMS, the SBC nodes within the VNF get their configuration updates only from the OAM node. Refer to SBC SWe Configuration Management Using OAM Nodes.

Direct Single Configuration

The Direct Single configuration model applies to deployments in which there is a single active SBC node, such as standalone or 1:1 HA deployments.  In this smaller type of deployment, the SBC node itself provides the northbound interfaces for the VNF while the EMS continues to provide a repository to store the configuration history. In the case of a 1:1 HA deployment, the active node replicates configuration changes to the backup node. Refer to SBC SWe Configuration Management in Direct Single Mode.