Methods and system for allocating an IP address for an instance in a network function virtualization (NFV) system

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions for allocating an IP address for an instance in a network function virtualization (NFV) hardware system, that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• obtaining, by a first node in the NFV hardware system, a first requirement of IP address allocation for the instance from a virtualised network function descriptor (VNFD);
• determining, by the first node, a second requirement of IP address allocation for the instance according to the first requirement;
• and
• sending, by the first node, to a second node in the NFV hardware system the second requirement, wherein the IP address is allocated for the instance based upon the second requirement.