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Service Function Chaining Extension for OpenStack Networking
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Team and repository tags
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.. image:: http://governance.openstack.org/badges/networking-sfc.svg
    :target: http://governance.openstack.org/reference/tags/index.html

.. Change things from this point on

Service Function Chaining API
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This project provides APIs and implementations to support
Service Function Chaining in Neutron.

Service Function Chaining is a mechanism for overriding the basic destination
based forwarding that is typical of IP networks. It is conceptually related
to Policy Based Routing in physical networks but it is typically thought of as
a Software Defined Networking technology. It is often used in conjunction with
security functions although it may be used for a broader range of features.
Fundamentally SFC is the ability to cause network packet flows to route through
a network via a path other than the one that would be chosen by routing table
lookups on the packet's destination IP address. It is most commonly used in
conjunction with Network Function Virtualization when recreating in a virtual
environment a series of network functions that would have traditionally been
implemented as a collection of physical network devices connected in series
by cables.

A very simple example of a service chain would be one that forces all traffic
from point A to point B to go through a firewall even though the firewall is
not literally between point A and B from a routing table perspective.

A more complex example is an ordered series of functions, each implemented in
multiple VMs, such that traffic must flow through one VM at each hop in the
chain but the network uses a hashing algorithm to distribute different flows
across multiple VMs at each hop.

This is an initial release, feedback is requested from users and the API may
evolve based on that feedback.

* Free software: Apache license
* Source: http://git.openstack.org/cgit/openstack/networking-sfc
* Documentation: https://docs.openstack.org/networking-sfc/latest
* Overview: https://launchpad.net/networking-sfc
* Bugs: http://bugs.launchpad.net/networking-sfc
* Blueprints: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/networking-sfc
* Wiki: https://wiki.openstack.org/wiki/Neutron/ServiceInsertionAndChaining

Features
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* Creation of Service Function Chains consisting of an ordered sequence of Service Functions. SFs are virtual machines (or potentially physical devices) that perform a network function such as firewall, content cache, packet inspection, or any other function that requires processing of packets in a flow from point A to point B.
* Reference implementation with Open vSwitch
* Flow classification mechanism (ability to select and act on traffic)
* Vendor neutral API
* Modular plugin driver architecture

Service Function Chaining Key Contributors
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* Cathy Zhang (Project Lead): https://launchpad.net/~cathy-h-zhang
* Louis Fourie: https://launchpad.net/~lfourie
* Paul Carver: https://launchpad.net/~pcarver
* Vikram: https://launchpad.net/~vikschw
* Mohankumar: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/~mohankumar-n
* Rao Fei: https://launchpad.net/~milo-frao
* Xiaodong Wang: https://launchpad.net/~xiaodongwang991481
* Ramanjaneya Reddy Palleti: https://launchpad.net/~ramanjieee
* Stephen Wong: https://launchpad.net/~s3wong
* Igor Duarte Cardoso: https://launchpad.net/~igordcard
* Prithiv: https://launchpad.net/~prithiv
* Akihiro Motoki: https://launchpad.net/~amotoki
* Swaminathan Vasudevan: https://launchpad.net/~swaminathan-vasudevan
* Armando Migliaccio https://launchpad.net/~armando-migliaccio
* Kyle Mestery https://launchpad.net/~mestery

Background on the Subject of Service Function Chaining
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* Original Neutron bug (request for enhancement): https://bugs.launchpad.net/neutron/+bug/1450617
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/neutron/+spec/neutron-api-extension-for-service-chaining
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/neutron/+spec/common-service-chaining-driver-api
* https://wiki.opnfv.org/requirements_projects/openstack_based_vnf_forwarding_graph
