Introduction

Network function virtualization (NFV) is a network architecture concept which tries to substitute the hardware devices using software in a virtual machine. These software components are defined through different file descriptors such as slice templates, network services or network functions. Besides, there are other elements related to the virtualized components to ensure an specific behavior or guarantees to the end user, such as policies or SLAs. They are also defined through file descriptors.

Descriptors are written in YAML format and, each type has an specific schema to define its structure, which will be used as the base to ensure their validity. Further explanations on schemas are provided in the schemas section.

File descriptors need to be validated in order to ensure its correctness. They are created by the user and thus, they are error sensitive. This is the function of the Validator, checking all the fields of the descriptor searching either errors or some parts that may cause problems.

The validator implements four validation levels: syntax, integrity, topology and custom rules. These levels can be used to check the correct form of the descriptors as well as the interconnections between the different components. The output informs the user of the errors and the warnings of their files and it helps them to correct them.

Use tng-sdk-validate -h to see more options.