Enterprise Application Delivery Framework and Leveraging NFV and Hybrid Cloud Architecture.
There are 3 components to KEMP’s Application Delivery-on-Demand Framework that Enterprise architects will be able to leverage for optimal application-on-demand delivery:
- Platforms - KEMP “LMOS” Operating System that powers LoadMaster is available on an increasing number of Bare Metal, Blade, Virtualized and Cloud-based platforms due to its system level architectural integrity.
- Work Loads - KEMP is supporting a growing number of Enterprise class workloads. This support includes workload specific capabilities, best of class deployment wizards, deployment guides, technical support and professional services provided by certified subject matter experts. In future this will extend to application specific managed services.
- Network Function Virtualization Plugins - KEMP’s Application Delivery Service Control Point (AD-SCP) will be able to host a range of NFV instances (both KEMP and 3rd party) providing virtualized device level Network Service Chaining (NSC). This allows for Data Center consolidation as well as performance and energy improvements.
Point-Solution
In its most elementary form, LM can be deployed as a stand-alone point-managed solution available on a range of virtual machines (para and fully virtualized), as a range of purpose built appliances, as an optimized bare metal operating system for blade servers or in an externally facing cloud role.
Multi-Tenant Solution
Running as a purpose built appliance or on a bare metal blade server, KEMP’s multi-tenant Application Delivery Service Control Point (AD-SCP) will take things to next evolutionary level by providing a platform under which:
- Multiple KEMP NFV instances, such as LoadMaster, will be able to run in parallel.
- Certified 3rd party NFV instances (WAF, WOC, DPI etc.) based on OEM relationships can be supported.
- Hybrid or wrapped NFV instances will be able to run within the AD-SCP. These can be leveraged to incorporate web service-based logic using the NFV wrapper as an integration point within the AD-SCP to satisfy a specific flow. Wrapped NFVs will also be able to leverage OSS networking capabilities that are exposed in the form of an NFV.
Furthermore, the KEMP Application Delivery Service Control Point will allow for Network Service Chaining (NSC). Thus, application bound data streams can be optimized for delivery through multiple NFV instances that are consolidated into a single abstracted service.
Example:
In the future, the AD-SCP will support the definition of rules and constraints which will be model-checked to ensure that the traffic flows enter and leave the NFVs in the desired sequence. This allows for the creation of multiple abstract services within the AD-SCP.
Orchestrated Solution
KEMP’s AD-SCP will provide “plug-in” support for popular orchestration environments such as OpenStack and Microsoft System Center.
A Microsoft PowerShell wrapper as well as an OpenStack Network API LBaaS (Load Balancer-as-a-Service) Extension wrapper will be created as a cooperating modules to KEMP’s current LM_API (RESTful API) providing a high level of service-based interoperability. KEMP may wish to actively contribute to the OpenStack project going forwards.
Programmatic API Libraries (initially supporting Java and .NET) will be provided for easy IDE (Interactive Development Environment) integration as part of a KEMP’s SDK (Software Developer Kit) initiative that can also be leveraged by mobile devices.
KEMP supports a range of platforms which can support and deliver on a spectrum of performance requirements. LoadMaster has a common feature set which drives a consistent look and feel, management interface options, ADC features to enable a “learn once” deployment option on all platforms for both experienced and first time administrators.
Real Platform Choices
KEMP supports a range of LoadMaster hardware, software and virtual ADC’s. The latest generation of 64-bit Virtual Platforms has significantly enhanced performance capabilities allowing customers to make real choices hardware and virtual ADCs without sacrificing underlying performance characteristics. The new Virtual ADC’s have the capacity to support similar performance capabilities to the low to middle end hardware ADCs from competitors.
Deploying LoadMaster
Specifically to better serve Administrators of Enterprise Line of Business Applications who traditionally do not have deep knowledge of ADC’s KEMP is delivering 2 alternative easy deployment methods. Primary method is via Templates where a customer can download and install an application template on the LoadMaster appliance. Each template has been tested and is supported by KEMP. This will populate a set of Virtual Services with all the recommended settings applied. The Administrator then has to just add server IP addresses and domain information to complete the provisioning process. The other deployment method is to use a Wizard where by going through a few easy steps which use naming conventions familiar to the Line of Business Administrator. At the end of the Wizard it can be deployed to a LoadMaster or stored for later deployment to a single or multiple LoadMasters.
Orchestrating LoadMaster
The next stage in making LoadMaster easier to deploy is through closer integration with Enterprise Orchestration platforms such as Microsoft’s Systems Center and OpenStack. This will enable the Enterprise system administrator to provision, deploy and maintain LoadMaster through the broader system management framework.
LoadMaster as an NFV
Additionally KEMP is committed to supporting SDN technologies including Open vSwitch at Layer2/3 to provision the underlying network fabric and making the Virtual LoadMaster appliance available as an NFV appliance platform for easy inclusion within a Network Service Chaining environment.
KEMP ADCs in hybrid cloud environments
Hybrid cloud build-outs often require that multiple ADC instances be deployed across multiple cloud infrastructures. In turn, these infrastructures present a heterogeneous mix of platform and orchestration tools. Because KEMP offers an agnostic mix of LoadMaster hardware, virtual, and bare metal platforms – yet all with a uniform and universal LM-API and Web UI – its customers can deploy the correct solution for their application, while minimizing the operational complexity of deploying and maintaining that solution.
Identity and Authentication
Applications deployed in a hybrid cloud rely on interoperable identity/authentication and authorization services (IA&A) across locales. For applications with a deep dependency on Active Directory for IA&A, LoadMaster can intelligently steer traffic to facilitate robust scale out of a federated ADFS infrastructure across private and public clouds. As KEMP continues to augment its own IA&A gateway capabilities, comparable support for SAML and WS-Security technologies are planned for future LoadMaster releases.
Policy Based Metrics and LM-API
KEMP products can facilitate policy-driven provisioning and traffic distribution for applications spanning public and private infrastructures. Today enterprise administrators are implementing policies based on technical and/or financial metrics. Current LoadMasters provide highly responsive policy implementation engines, allowing an external orchestrator (using appropriate metric feeds) to calculate the policy implementation and drive the LM-API. But because LoadMasters enjoy special access to flows within a network topology, KEMP will be extending the LoadMaster to provide granular, actionable QoS information on application workflows, to become another integral metric feed source.
Integrating KEMP ADC technology into emerging SDN solutions
KEMP’s evolving Application-Delivery-on-Demand Framework is central to a successful SDN solution. It is not KEMP’s intent to become an SDN controller or a broader application/network orchestrator, but be configurable by orchestrators and provide invaluable network and application visibility.
ADCs are frequently seen as a L4-L7 “middlebox” and therefore not part of the active SDN interplay. However, there are a number of direct connections points to SDN that add value from an Application Delivery point-of-view. These are reflected in KEMP’s SDN strategy:
- KEMP’s Application Delivery Service Control Point (AD-SCP) for multi-tenant NFV support will integrate Open vSwitch technology into its hypervisor bridge, thus allowing for remote vSwitch management using OpenFlow.
- L2 metrics visibility within LoadMaster through Northbound APIs such as Cisco onePK Element API providing QoS and Cost-based information. Other Northbound API’s will be supported in time such as the Floodlight Northbound API.
- L2 Adaptive Load Balancing using data available through metrics provided by SDN-Controllers through the likes of onePK.
- Interoperation with Orchestrators for full application-on-demand (server + network capacity) life-cycle support. Initially this will mean supporting the OpenStack Network API v2.0 LBaaS (Load Balancer-as-a-Service) Extension.
As NFV continues to gain traction, both inside and outside of CSP customers, the ability to facilitate service insertion and chaining across a variety of “middlebox” services will inherently increase in popularity. KEMP forecasts that with this, the ADC in general will organically become more pervasive. KEMP’s ADCs, however, will particularly become more prevalent by continuing to ensure that exposed APIs seamlessly integrate into various NFV and automation frameworks. This will result in the ADC serving not only as a mechanism to ensure that traffic flows are targeted at healthy endpoints but also as an active participant contributing to the seamless instantiation and retiring of network services as needed.
The ever-expanding support for the “LMOS” Operating System across an increasing array of Bare Metal, Blade, Virtualized and Cloud-based platforms will allow ADC technology to be delivered WHERE Enterprise customers want whether that’s in a private, public or hybrid cloud infrastructure. When it comes to network infrastructures in theenterprise, there is no one-size-fits-all and KEMP envisions encompassing the majority of platforms leveraged by the Enterprise ecosphere. Keeping with KEMP’s core value of providing the RIGHT features at the RIGHT price for the RIGHT applications, KEMP’s ADC technology will be delivered the way Enterprise customers want.