Abstract

Large enterprises increasingly use Kubernetes platforms to host critical application and network  services across data-center and cloud environments.  As application environments scale, efficient use of CPU and memory can increase workload density, reduce infrastructure requirements, and provide additional capacity for business applications and services. F5 BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition (CNE) is the Kubernetes-native deployment model for BIG-IP. It delivers trusted BIG-IP networking and security services, including DNS, CGNAT, AFM, and BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes, as cloud-native network functions (CNFs).  CNE complements BIG-IP Hardware and Virtual Edition, giving customers the flexibility to choose the deployment model that best fits each workload and operating environment.

F5 commissioned Tolly to evaluate the infrastructure efficiency of BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition delivering L4+CGNAT and DNS services as cloud-native network functions in a Red Hat OpenShift environment and compare the results with the tested virtualized network function deployment.

Tests showed that BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition used substantially fewer CPU and memory  resources than the tested VNF implementation while delivering comparable L4+CGNAT throughput. CNE also delivered higher DNS throughput while using substantially fewer CPU resources.