Service · Networking Engineering

Engineering Software-Defined & Virtualized Network Platforms

PalC designs and builds SDN and NFV platforms that decouple control, forwarding, and services - programmable, scalable, and open network architectures where controllers, virtualized functions, orchestration layers, and infrastructure operate together reliably in production environments across service provider, enterprise, and data centre deployments.

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SDN & NFV Platform Stack - PalC Coverage

Orchestration & ManagementONAP · MANO · Kubernetes · NETCONF/YANG

SDN Controllers & Control PlaneONOS · OpenDaylight · FRR · GoBGP · OcNOS · ZebOS

APIsREST · gRPC · P4RT

NFV Platform & VNFsvRouter · vFW · UPF/BNG · CGN · vRAN · SFC chains

vSwitchOVS · DPDK

Data Plane & AccelerationDPDK · XDP · OFDPA · OpenNSL · P4 · SR-IOV

InfrastructureOpenStack · Kubernetes · KVM · Docker · Ceph · SONiC

OpenControllers

DPDKAccelerated

FullSFC Chains

ONOSONAPDPDKOVSR-CORD

OpenControl Planes

E2ESFC & Orchestration

MultiVendor Interop

Software-defined networking and network functions virtualization transform networks from static, hardware-locked systems into programmable platforms. PalC focuses on engineering SDN and NFV systems as complete platforms - where controllers, virtualized network functions, orchestration layers, and physical infrastructure work together reliably in production. Our work spans the full journey from early SDN architecture design through modern cloud-native and container-based NFV deployments, shaped by real carrier and enterprise production environments.

Core Capabilities

Depth across SDN control, NFV platforms, and orchestration

PalC covers the full SDN and NFV stack - from controller application development and open control-plane engineering through NFV platform integration, service chaining, orchestration, and operator training.

SDN Architecture & Controller Engineering

Design and development of SDN architectures that separate control and data planes - centralized controllers, programmable forwarding, and southbound interface integration for OpenFlow, P4Runtime, and NETCONF-capable hardware.

SDN architecture design - centralized and hierarchical control plane models
ONOS controller deployment, clustering, and high availability
OpenDaylight (ODL) integration and controller application development
OpenFlow, P4Runtime, and OFDPA southbound interface integration
SD-WAN and SD-VPN platform architecture and controller engineering

Controller Application Development

Engineering SDN controller applications for traffic steering, policy enforcement, service chaining, and network automation - Java/Go-based ONOS apps and ODL plugins that implement network-wide business logic above the controller platform.

ONOS application development - intent framework and flow rule APIs
OpenDaylight plugin development - MD-SAL and RESTCONF northbound
Traffic engineering applications - TE path computation and rerouting
Network policy enforcement apps - ACL, QoS, and segmentation
Topology discovery and visualisation controller applications

NFV Platform Engineering

Design and integration of NFV platforms where network functions are virtualized and chained to deliver communication services - UPF, BNG, CGN, vFW, vRouter, and DPI deployed as VNFs or CNFs on OpenStack or Kubernetes infrastructure.

VNF lifecycle management - onboarding, instantiation, scaling, termination
UPF, BNG, CGN, and vRAN deployment on NFV infrastructure
CNF (containerised network function) development on Kubernetes
OVS-DPDK vSwitch integration for high-throughput inter-VNF traffic
SR-IOV and hardware passthrough for latency-sensitive VNFs

Service Function Chaining (SFC)

End-to-end service chain design and implementation - traffic steered through ordered sequences of network functions (firewall, NAT, DPI, load balancer) using NSH, segment routing, or VXLAN-GPE path encapsulation.

NSH (Network Service Header) based SFC path design
Service Function Forwarder (SFF) and SF proxy engineering
Dynamic chain modification - insert, remove, bypass VNF nodes
SFC classifier integration with flow policy and subscriber binding

Orchestration & Automation

Integration of orchestration layers to manage SDN and NFV components across infrastructure, services, and lifecycle operations - ONAP for carrier-grade MANO, Kubernetes operators for CNF lifecycle, and NETCONF/YANG for device configuration via orchestrator.

ONAP deployment and component integration - SO, A&AI, DCAE, VID
Tacker (OpenStack) VNF manager integration for VNF lifecycle
Kubernetes operators for CNF onboarding and lifecycle automation
NETCONF/YANG-based network device configuration via orchestrator
Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) for SDN-managed infrastructure

Training & Team Enablement

Hands-on training programmes for network engineers and platform operators covering SDN and NFV concepts, controller platforms, VNF deployment, and real-world production deployment patterns delivered as part of every PalC engagement.

SDN fundamentals - control/data plane separation, OpenFlow, P4
ONOS and ODL controller hands-on workshops
NFV platform deep-dive - OpenStack, Kubernetes-based NFV infra
ONAP architecture and component walkthrough for carrier teams
R-CORD / CORD deployment patterns and operations

Technical Deep Dive

Proven engineering across controllers, NFV, SFC, and orchestration

PalC engineers work at the platform level - ONOS intent API, DPDK-accelerated OVS for VNF interconnect, NSH service chaining, and NETCONF-driven orchestration for open network device management.

SDN Controller - ONOS Intent API

Point-to-point connectivity intent programming

ONOS Intent Framework abstracts topology details - a PointToPointIntent installs all necessary flow rules across the path, handles rerouting on failure, and updates automatically on topology change.

// ONOS Intent API - P2P connectivity intent
PointToPointIntent.Builder() .appId(appId) .key(Key.of("tenant-flow1", appId))
  .filteredIngressPoint(FilteredConnectPoint.connectPoint(...))
  .filteredEgressPoint(...);
intentService.submit(intent);

ControllerONOSAppIntent FrameworkSouthboundOpenFlow / P4RTFailoverAuto-reroute

NFV Data Plane - OVS-DPDK vSwitch

DPDK-accelerated virtual switching for inter-VNF traffic

OVS with DPDK PMD offloads packet switching from kernel to user space - multi-Mpps forwarding between VNF instances with SR-IOV passthrough for latency-sensitive VNFs like UPF and BNG.

# OVS-DPDK configuration for VNF vSwitch
other_config:dpdk-init=true
other_config:dpdk-socket-mem=1024,1024
datapath_type=netdev
options:dpdk-devargs=0000:01:00.0

vSwitchOVS-DPDKThroughputMulti-MppsNIC OffloadSR-IOV passthroughPMDUser-space polling

Service Function Chaining - NSH Path Configuration

NSH-based service chain: FW - NAT - DPI

Network Service Header encapsulates service path ID and index - classifier assigns flows to a chain, each SF decrements the index and forwards to the next SF until functions are applied.

# OpenDaylight SFC configuration
service-function-chain: internet-chain
service-functions: fw-vnf, nat-vnf, dpi-vnf
sfp: internet-sfp

EncapNSH (RFC 8300)ControllerODL SFC / ONOSChainFW - NAT - DPIDynamicInsert / bypass

Orchestration - NETCONF/YANG

Declarative network device configuration via NETCONF

YANG-modeled configuration pushed to SONiC/OcNOS devices via NETCONF from the SDN orchestrator - standard interface replacing CLI scripting with rollback and candidate datastore configuration support.

# NETCONF edit-config via YANG
<config>
  <bgp xmlns="urn:openconfig:...:bgp">...</bgp>
</config>

ProtocolNETCONF RFC 6241ModelYANG / IETF BGPDevicesSONiC · OcNOS · ZebOSRollbackCandidate datastore

Technology Stack

SDN, NFV, control plane, and orchestration

PalC's SDN and NFV engineering covers the full platform stack - from open control-plane software and programmable forwarding through VNF infrastructure, service chaining, and NETCONF/YANG-based management.

SDN & NFV Platform Layers - PalC Engineering Coverage

Orchestration & MANOONAP · Tacker · Kubernetes MANO · ETSI NFV · NETCONF/YANG

SDN ControllersONOS · OpenDaylight · Floodlight · OcNOS · FRR · GoBGP

NBIREST · gRPC · OIF

NFV Platform & VNF/CNF LayerOpenStack · Kubernetes · vRouter · UPF · BNG · CGN · vFW · DPI

vSwitchOVS · Contrail

Data Plane & AccelerationDPDK · OVS-DPDK · XDP · OFDPA · OpenNSL · P4 · SR-IOV

Management & Control PlaneNETCONF · RESTCONF · YANG · Sysrepo · ConfD · SNMP · ONIE

ToolsPyang · Netopeer

InfrastructureOpenStack · Kubernetes · KVM · Docker · Ceph · SONiC · ONL

SDN & NFV Platforms

SD-WAN / SD-VPNOpen controller-based
MANO / OrchestrationONAP · OPNFV
Access / CORDR-CORD · VOLTHA
SDN ControllersONOS ODL
ForwardingOpenFlow P4

Control Plane & NOS

IP InfusionZebOS · ZebXP · OcNOS
Open RoutingFRR · Quagga · GoBGP
Open NOSSONiC · ONL
Data PlaneOpenNSL OFDPA
vSwitchOVS OVS-DPDK

NFV Infrastructure

Cloud PlatformOpenStack · Kubernetes
VirtualisationKVM · Docker
AccelerationDPDK · SR-IOV · XDP
StorageCeph
MgmtNETCONF YANG

Our Approach

A structured approach to SDN and NFV delivery

From architecture and platform design through engineering, validation, deployment, training, and lifecycle support.

Phase 01

Architecture & Platform Design

Defining SDN and NFV architectures aligned with scale, performance, operational requirements, and open-source ecosystem choices

Phase 02

Platform Engineering & Integration

Integrating controllers, virtualized network functions, orchestration layers, service chains, and infrastructure platforms end-to-end

Phase 03

Validation & Interoperability

Testing control-plane behaviour, service chains, VNF performance, and infrastructure integration under real-world traffic and failure conditions

Phase 04

Deployment, Training & Lifecycle

Supporting production rollout, hands-on team training, troubleshooting, and ongoing platform lifecycle evolution

Platform StackONOS · OpenDaylightOcNOS · FRR · GoBGPONAP · OPNFVOVS-DPDKOpenStack · KubernetesNSH / SFCNETCONF / YANGR-CORD · SONiC

Deployment Scenarios

Where this is applied

Proven SDN and NFV patterns for SD-WAN, service provider NFV, cloud-native networking, CORD, and enterprise programmable infrastructure.

SD-WAN & SD-VPN Platforms

Software-defined WAN and VPN solutions with centralised policy control - open controller-based SD-WAN replacing proprietary CPE, with dynamic path selection, traffic engineering, and zero-touch branch provisioning.

Service Provider NFV Platforms

Virtualised network functions and service chaining for carrier and metro networks - UPF, BNG, CGN, and vFW deployed as VNFs or CNFs on ONAP-orchestrated infrastructure, replacing proprietary hardware middleboxes.

Cloud-Native Network Platforms

SDN and NFV architectures on Kubernetes - CNF lifecycle managed by custom operators, Cilium eBPF-based networking replacing OVS, and ONOS or Stratum-based programmable forwarding for cloud-native telco platforms.

CORD-Based Access & Aggregation

SDN and NFV for Central Office Re-architected as Datacenter - R-CORD for residential broadband aggregation, VOLTHA-based OLT virtualisation, and SONiC-based access fabric management using ONOS as the network controller.

Data Centre SDN Fabrics

SDN-controlled data centre fabrics with programmable forwarding - ONOS or ODL managing SONiC-based leaf-spine topologies, OFDPA flow pipelines for multi-table packet processing, and centralised policy enforcement replacing distributed ECMP.

5G Core & RAN Virtualisation

NFV platforms for 5G standalone core - virtualised UPF on DPDK-accelerated bare metal, Kubernetes-based CNF deployment for AMF/SMF/UPF, and ONAP-driven service orchestration for end-to-end 5G network slice management.

Business Outcomes

What organisations achieve with PalC SDN and NFV engineering

Greater network programmability and automation

Centralised control and policy-driven operations replace manual per-device configuration - a single controller intent or NETCONF API call configures the entire network path, with automatic rerouting on failure.

Faster service deployment and change management

Software-defined workflows and orchestration reduce new VNF service deployment from weeks to hours - ONAP-driven VNF onboarding, automated service chain instantiation, and zero-touch branch provisioning at scale.

Reduced dependency on proprietary networking platforms

Open controllers - ONOS, ODL - and virtualised functions running on commodity hardware replace proprietary hardware appliances, giving network operators flexibility to evolve their platform without vendor lock-in.

Improved scalability and operational efficiency

Elastic VNF scaling and unified SDN management reduce both CapEx and OpEx - VNF instances scale horizontally on commodity servers, and the SDN controller provides a single operational interface for the entire network.

Stronger alignment between networking and cloud platforms

Cloud-native and container-ready NFV architectures align network function lifecycle with Kubernetes-native tooling - CNFs deployed and managed using the same Helm, ArgoCD, and Prometheus stack as application workloads.

Full visibility into control-plane and service-chain behaviour

Centralised SDN controller topology view, gNMI telemetry from SONiC data-plane devices, and ONAP DCAE analytics provide end-to-end visibility across the control plane, VNF instances, and physical infrastructure.

Operations & Visibility

SDN and NFV platforms built for operational clarity

PalC integrates telemetry, controller visibility, and NETCONF-based operational tooling alongside every SDN and NFV platform - so operators can monitor control-plane state, VNF health, and service chain continuity from day one.

ONOS topology and flow-rule monitoring - ONOS GUI and REST API expose real-time topology, active intents, flow rules per device, and host tracking - giving operators full visibility into what the SDN controller has programmed across the fabric.
gNMI streaming telemetry from SDN-managed devices - SONiC and OcNOS devices stream interface counters, port states, and BGP session health via gNMI to Prometheus - the same telemetry pipeline used for IP networking extended across the SDN fabric.
VNF health monitoring and service chain validation - Kubernetes-native liveness and readiness probes for CNFs, combined with ONAP DCAE event analytics, surface VNF instance failures and service chain breaks before traffic impact.
Runbooks for SDN and NFV failure scenarios - Structured runbooks covering controller failover, intent compilation errors, VNF scale-out failures, service chain breaks, and NETCONF session loss.

Orchestration & MANOONAP · Tacker · K8s operators

SDN ControllersONOS topology · ODL · FRR

Telemetry & DashboardsgNMI · Prometheus · Grafana

VNF & Service ChainsVNF health · SFC path status

Infrastructure & Data PlaneSONiC · OVS-DPDK · OpenStack

Controller-visiblegNMI-streamedONAP-monitored

Next steps

Building or modernising SDN and NFV platforms?

Whether designing a new SDN control architecture, deploying an NFV platform for carrier services, integrating ONOS with SONiC-based data centre infrastructure, or training your engineering team on open networking - PalC can accelerate delivery.

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Discuss your infrastructure goals with our experts.

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