In legacy networks, network functions (e.g., firewalls, NAT, QoS) are highly dependent on dedicated hardware. It is sophisticated and costly for network operators to determine the order of network functions and stitch them together to create service chains for end users, especially with the explosive growth of end-users and Internet services. The recent emergence of NFV and SDN technologies provide benefits for service function chaining and reduce OPEX and CAPEX for network operators. This article presents a typical framework to construct service chains by combining SDN and NFV, and describes several critical issues in this field, expecting readers to catch current research progress and make their new contributions in this field.

中文翻译：

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通过集成 NFV 和 SDN 实现高效的服务功能链：架构、挑战和机遇


在传统网络中，网络功能（例如防火墙、NAT、QoS）高度依赖于专用硬件。对于网络运营商来说，确定网络功能的顺序并将它们拼接在一起为最终用户创建服务链是复杂且昂贵的，特别是随着最终用户和互联网服务的爆炸性增长。最近出现的 NFV 和 SDN 技术为服务功能链带来了好处，并降低了网络运营商的运营支出和资本支出。本文提出了一个结合SDN和NFV构建服务链的典型框架，并描述了该领域的几个关键问题，希望读者能够及时了解当前的研究进展，并在该领域做出新的贡献。