ABSTRACT
Network functions virtualization (NFV) is a set of software capabilities created by developments in two separate disciplines: networking and operating systems (OSs). In the early days, both networks and computers were very expensive. Hence, sharing a networked computer became a necessity—while the cost per user reduced considerably, every time a new user was added to the network, the “value” of the network increased in proportion to the number of users (Metcalfe's Law). As the number of computers increased, the design of the network became more complicated, with switches and routers being used to direct traffic from source to destination, and networking technologies that facilitated traffic flow in local and wide-area networks.
