Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENCOR) v1.2VirtualizationMedium
A network architect is deploying a new virtualized firewall cluster that needs to handle high traffic throughput and provide stateful inspection for multiple security zones. To ensure high availability and efficient resource utilization, which virtualization concept should be applied to the firewall instances?
- AContainerization
- BVirtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF)
- CVirtual Device Context (VDC)
- DNetwork Function Virtualization (NFV)
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Network Function Virtualization (NFV)
NFV allows network functions like firewalls to be deployed as software on commodity hardware, enabling elasticity, scalability, and high availability through clustering and orchestration, which aligns perfectly with the requirements for a high-throughput, stateful virtualized firewall cluster.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Containerization is a specific virtualization technology, but NFV is the broader architectural concept for deploying network functions as software, which might utilize containers or VMs.
- B. VRF provides Layer 3 isolation within a router, not a framework for deploying virtualized network appliances.
- C. VDC is specific to Cisco Nexus switches for logical device separation, not a general concept for virtualizing network functions.
Network Function Virtualization (NFV)
Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is an architectural concept that virtualizes entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that can be chained together to create communication services. It decouples network functions (e.g., firewalls, load balancers) from proprietary hardware appliances.
- Decouples network functions from hardware.
- Enables flexible deployment and scalability.
- Reduces CAPEX and OPEX.
Memory trick: NFV: Network Functions, Virtually Flexible.