OpenECOMP

OpenECOMP
Name	OpenECOMP
Developer	AT&T, Linux Foundation?
Released	2016
Latest release	2017
Programming language	Java, Python (programming language)?
License	Apache License 2.0

OpenECOMP OpenECOMP was an open-source variant of a network orchestration and service management platform originally developed by AT&T that aimed to automate telecommunications service lifecycle management, network function virtualization, and cloud-native operations. The project intersected with multiple initiatives in the open-source ecosystem, engaging stakeholders from AT&T, the Linux Foundation, and numerous vendors, and influenced standards and implementations across ETSI, ONAP, and cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure.

History

OpenECOMP emerged from work at AT&T to industrialize software-defined networking and orchestration, following research themes found in projects like OpenStack, OpenDaylight, ONOS, and Kubernetes. Early development paralleled initiatives at IETF and ETSI NFV where orchestration and management were central, and it attracted contributors from companies including Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, and Juniper Networks. The timeline involved coordination with industry events such as Mobile World Congress, Interop, and LinuxCon, and with standard bodies like 3GPP and GSMA that shaped telecom requirements. OpenECOMP's trajectory intersected with mergers and collaborations, notably the consolidation with ONAP efforts coordinated by the Linux Foundation and participants including Verizon, China Mobile, NTT, and Deutsche Telekom.

Architecture and Components

OpenECOMP's architecture combined elements of service orchestration, policy management, inventory, and analytics, drawing conceptual parallels to systems like OpenStack Nova, OpenStack Neutron, Ceph, Hadoop, and Apache Kafka. Core components implemented workflows and orchestration engines similar in intent to Apache Airflow and Camunda BPM, while policy and configuration engines reflected approaches from OpenDaylight and SaltStack. For storage and state management the design referenced technologies such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Apache Cassandra, and for telemetry and analytics it aligned with Prometheus, Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Grafana. The platform supported containerization and microservices patterns popularized by Docker (software) and Kubernetes (software), and used messaging paradigms akin to RabbitMQ and Apache Kafka.

Deployment and Integration

Deployments of OpenECOMP targeted carrier-grade environments including telco data centers, edge sites, and public cloud regions operated by Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and bespoke private cloud stacks like OpenStack. Integration scenarios involved orchestration of virtual network functions from vendors such as Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, Cisco Systems, and Fujitsu, along with management interfaces aligning to TM Forum frameworks and NETCONF/YANG models. DevOps toolchains integrated continuous integration and continuous delivery systems exemplified by Jenkins, GitLab, Travis CI, and Ansible, while monitoring and fault management interfaced with systems familiar to enterprises running Splunk and Nagios. Interoperability testing occurred at industry events including Interop, Mobile World Congress, and Open Source Summit.

Governance and Licensing

OpenECOMP's governance model reflected collaborations between corporate contributors and foundation-style stewardship similar to arrangements at the Linux Foundation and precedents set by Apache Software Foundation projects. Licensing favored permissive terms comparable to the Apache License to encourage vendor participation from companies like AT&T, Verizon, China Mobile, NTT, and Deutsche Telekom. Contributor agreements and intellectual property policies were structured to align with practices seen in projects such as OpenStack and Kubernetes to balance corporate interests and community development. Steering committees and technical advisory boards resembled governance bodies used by Eclipse Foundation and Apache Software Foundation.

Adoption and Impact

OpenECOMP influenced the evolution of orchestration in telecoms, informing commercial and open-source efforts including ONAP, OpenStack, OpenDaylight, Kubernetes, and vendor platforms from Cisco Systems, Ericsson, and Nokia. Operators like AT&T, Verizon, China Mobile, NTT, and Deutsche Telekom referenced concepts from the project in network transformation initiatives, proof-of-concepts at Mobile World Congress, and deployments tied to 5G rollouts coordinated with 3GPP timelines. Academia and research labs at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Cambridge studied orchestration models related to OpenECOMP alongside frameworks like ETSI NFV and TM Forum.

Security and Compliance

Security considerations for OpenECOMP aligned with practices promoted by organizations such as OWASP, NIST, ENISA, and ISO/IEC 27001 frameworks, and implementations adopted hardened deployment patterns similar to those in Kubernetes, OpenStack, and cloud provider best practices from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Compliance efforts referenced telecom-centric regulations and requirements encountered by carriers including Ofcom, FCC, GSMA, and regional authorities in European Union jurisdictions, and used security tooling that mirrored approaches from SELinux, AppArmor, Vault (software), and OpenSSL.

Category:Telecommunications software