AT&T, Palo Alto Networks and Broadcom develop virtual firewall framework

March 07, 2020

ATT, Palo Alto Networks and Broadcom on Friday announced a framework for a virtual firewall, known as a Disaggregated Scalable Firewall (DSFW). According to ATT, the DFSW architecture is designed to secure and protect global network traffic in the 5G era. The DSFW lets network operators deploy firewalls as software-based platforms rather than hardware appliances.

The framework is an expansion to the Distributed Disaggregated Chassis (DDC) white box architecture that ATT submitted to the Open Compute Project last September. The expansion delivers a dynamically programmable fabric with embedded security at the edge of the network, ATT said. Specifically, the framework embeds AI and machine learning in the network fabric to prevent attacks.

“Security has always been at the forefront of ATT’s network initiatives,” said Michael Satterlee, VP of network infrastructure and services for ATT. “Traditionally, we have had to rely on centralized security platforms or co-located appliances which are either not directly in the path of the network or are not cost effective to meet the scaling requirements of a carrier. This new design embeds security on the fabric of our network edge that allows control, visibility and advanced threat protection.”

ATT said the framework — which uses an open hardware and software design to support flexible deployment models — also represents its white box approach to network design and deployment.

In addition to ATT’s contributions on the network side, Palo Alto Networks’ edge security technology and Broadcom’s Jericho 2 silicon chip were integral to the DSFW’s design. Broadcom also provided expertise for the Jericho 2 functionality, along with a new wrinkle on the chip to retain Layer 4 session information, which allows for the hardware offload. The companies said they hope to get feedback from other OCP members following this DSFW’s release.