Monitoring service function chaining integrity

In a virtualized network, services are created at the service endpoints by chaining together virtualized network functions (VNFs) in a specific order to achieve the functionality specified in the service definition. When new services are created, it is essential that this service chain be validated to ensure compliance.

Additionally, due to the dynamic nature of virtualized networks, services – and hence their associated service chains – may be rerouted or moved to address areas such as efficiency, load balancing or recovery from a failure event. When this happens, it is equally important to verify that the service chains were rebuilt according to the agreed service specifications.

Having an orchestrated service assurance solution, embedded into the service chain itself, is the only way to ensure 100% visibility into service chain integrity during these events, or to detect failures in the service chain during normal operations.