Ultra Cloud Core Subscriber Microservices Infrastructure Overview
The Ultra Cloud Core Subscriber Microservices Infrastructure (SMI) provides a run time environment for deploying and managing Cisco's cloud-native network functions (cNFs), also referred to as applications.
It is built around open source projects like Kubernetes (K8s), Docker, Helm, etcd, confd, and gRPC and provides a common set of services used by deployed cNFs including:
Protocol Load Balancing: These microservices provide the external NF interfaces (HTTP, Diameter, GTP, LDAP, etc.) and load balance requests to the application microservices. They normalize internal communications and allow application evolution independent of the interface evolution. Each protocol type is usually implemented as a separate microservice. gRPC is used for internal communication with the application microservices
Database Service: The database service provides a normalized gRPC interface to the application microservices. The database service can interface to different databases allowing the use of different back-end databases depending on the application requirements while maintaining the same interface.
Cisco Service Mesh: This service provides rule-based control over load balancing decisions across different application containers. Through this service, SMI supports and automates operations such as canary upgrades, new service roll-outs, and in-service upgrades.
Telemetry Service: Telemetry functionality is provided through a common set of microservices which collect real-time statistics, alarms, logs from various deployed application components, and translates and streams them to external functions.
Dashboard Service: The dashboard service works with the telemetry service to provide operational overview data for application containers such as state, utilization, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Cisco's cNFs are implemented as a set of microservices that make use of the common platform services offered by SMI. Refer to the NF's documentation for additional details.