Network Function Modeling and Its Applications

Given the widespread deployment of proprietary network functions (NFs), many network management functions (such as testing and policy compliance) need accurate NF models to ensure correctness and reliability. However, because of their proprietary and complex nature, these NFs lack a standardized behavior model. This article reviews existing NF models and modeling approaches, proposes generic modeling methodologies to create standard NF models, and presents the model's applications in network management tasks.