Network functions virtualization
Hi there! So, have you ever played with a toy where you can take apart different pieces and put them back together in different ways to make something new? That's kind of like what Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is!
Let me explain. So, normally, when you use the Internet, your computer or phone talks to other computers and devices that help the Internet work. These devices are called "network functions", and they might include things like firewalls (which keep bad things out of your computer), routers (which help different parts of the Internet talk to each other), and switches (which route information between different devices).
Now, usually these network functions are physical devices - that is, they're boxes with wires and blinking lights that sit in a big room somewhere. But with NFV, we can take those physical devices and make them virtual, which means they exist only as software that can be run on a computer instead of having to be a physical box.
Think of it like building blocks - instead of having to use the physical blocks to build a tower, you can now just use virtual blocks on your computer screen to create the same tower.
This can make things easier and more flexible because we only need one computer to run lots of different network functions - we can just switch from one set of software to another depending on what we need. It's like a magic trick!
And because everything is virtual, it also means we can create, test and deploy different combinations and configurations of network functions a lot faster and more easily than with physical devices.
Does that help you understand what network functions virtualization is? It's basically a way to take apart the physical building blocks of computer networks, and make them virtual and flexible so we can build new things faster and more easily!
Let me explain. So, normally, when you use the Internet, your computer or phone talks to other computers and devices that help the Internet work. These devices are called "network functions", and they might include things like firewalls (which keep bad things out of your computer), routers (which help different parts of the Internet talk to each other), and switches (which route information between different devices).
Now, usually these network functions are physical devices - that is, they're boxes with wires and blinking lights that sit in a big room somewhere. But with NFV, we can take those physical devices and make them virtual, which means they exist only as software that can be run on a computer instead of having to be a physical box.
Think of it like building blocks - instead of having to use the physical blocks to build a tower, you can now just use virtual blocks on your computer screen to create the same tower.
This can make things easier and more flexible because we only need one computer to run lots of different network functions - we can just switch from one set of software to another depending on what we need. It's like a magic trick!
And because everything is virtual, it also means we can create, test and deploy different combinations and configurations of network functions a lot faster and more easily than with physical devices.
Does that help you understand what network functions virtualization is? It's basically a way to take apart the physical building blocks of computer networks, and make them virtual and flexible so we can build new things faster and more easily!
Related topics others have asked about: