This architecture document is the product of the Service Function Chaining
(SFC) WG in the IETF Routing Area. The WG is chaired by Jim Guichard and
Thomas Narten. Alia Atlas and Adrian Farrell are the routing area directors,
with Alia being the AD directly supervising this working group.
This document describes an architecture for the specification, creation, and
ongoing maintenance of Service Function Chains (SFC) in a network. It includes
architectural concepts, principles, and components used in the construction of
composite services through deployment of SFCs, with a focus on those to be
standardized in the IETF. This document does not propose solutions, protocols,
or extensions to existing protocols as these will be addressed in other
documents produced by the SFC WG.
Note that the selected architecture presents a model addressing the problematic
aspects of existing service deployments, including topological independence and
configuration complexity as laid out in the SFC WG problem statement document.
This document has been reviewed multiple times by many participants in the
working group and has undergone several revisions to integrate all aspects
requested of the SFC architecture. The document is also the product of a merge
of multiple previous documents.
The document is in good shape, and the shepherd agrees with the chairs
conclusion that it is ready for publication as an informational RFC.