| Abstract: | The fields of networking and telecommunications are presently witnessing the transition of a number of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) principles and techniques from research into practice. This survey attempts to capture the NFV phenomenon in its multi-faceted historical development over the last two decades, by answering the question “What are the main goals of NFV systems?” and by highlighting the advantages and technical limits of NFV in supporting those goals. By focusing on the whys and hows of NFV, we propose a reasoned overview of the most significant design elements of NFV as a complementary synthesis to the analytical taxonomies of papers and standards that are usually found in survey documents. |
