Information Model for NFV (STF 570)

Having a consolidated Information Model in a machine-readable format eases the sharing of the model with external SDO’s. Using tools commonly applied in the broader community, facilitates other SDOs and open source projects to use ETSI NFV Information Model as a basis, as it is easy to build on top of it.There are more than 14 different NFV-IFA specifications that provide input to the information model, and the size of the model has grown to more than 160 classes, 200 datatypes and 200 associations. It is expected that the number of entries to the model will increase in Release 3 as new NFV features are specified. To continue to be useful, the Information Model needs to be maintained and aligned with changes in the related specifications. On the other, hand it also provides means to check the consistency and validity of new features and changes added to the related specifications.STF 570 is focused on maintaining the DGR/IFA015 NFV Information Model specification in order to keep it aligned with the ongoing work on related ETSI NFV releases. The Information Model provides a consolidated view on all information elements present in the descriptors and interface specifications. Such consolidated view enables a quick identification of gaps and inconsistencies in the implementations of the standard. The Information Model is an important tool for ensuring the consistency among specifications. Within this STF, we will update the NFV information model and publish a new version of the information model in Papyrus and the associated GenDoc document. Additionally, the accompanying UML® Modelling Guidelines and Papyrus Guidelines, i.e. DGR/NFV-IFA016 and DGR/NFV-IFA017 will be maintained and updated as necessary as well.