F5 BIG-IP Next Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNF)
Solution overview
To understand this lab you must first have a little background in Kubernetes and Cloud Native Network Functions.
CNF is an acronym for Cloud-Native Network Function
Cloud-native technologies empower organizations to build and run scalable applications in modern, dynamic environments such as public, private, and hybrid clouds. Containers, service meshes, microservices, immutable infrastructure, and declarative APIs exemplify this approach.
These techniques enable loosely coupled systems that are resilient, manageable, and observable. Combined with robust automation, they allow engineers to make high-impact changes frequently and predictably with minimal toil.
-Definition from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)
Network Function:
IP-based network service or application that provides business value. F5 creates and sells many network functions such as CGNAT, DDoS, Firewall, DNS Cache, Traffic Steering, TCP Optimization, Video Optimization, URL Filtering and more.
In this lab, you will explore the following uses-cases for F5 BIG-IP Next Cloud-Native Network Functions:
- Firewall Rules
- Load Balancing
- DNS
Users will be able to interact with F5's BIG-IP Next CNF use-cases that are running in Kubernetes on top of NVIDIA BlueField-3 Data Processing Unit (DPU) with applications utilizing the L40 GPU.