No abstract

Achieving zero-copy I/O has long been an important goal in the networking community. However, data serialization obviates the benefits of zero-copy I/O, because it requires the CPU to read, transform, and write message data, resulting in additional memory copies between the real object instances and the contiguous socket buffer. Therefore, we argue for offloading serialization logic to the DMA path via specialized hardware. We propose an initial hardware design for such an accelerator, and give preliminary evidence of its feasibility and expected benefits. CCS CONCEPTS• Networks → Data path algorithms; Application layer protocols; • Hardware → Communication hardware, interfaces and storage.

Building an Internet Router is a popular, hands-on project used to teach computer networks. However, there is currently no hardware target that allows students to develop the project in P4 without incurring significant cost or encountering FPGA knowledge barriers. This paper presents P4Pi as a target for the Building an Internet Router project. P4Pi is a platform for developing, testing, and evaluating P4 programs on a Raspberry Pi device. We describe the architecture of the router project on P4Pi, and discuss the practical aspects of running it as a class project. The P4Pi-based router project is low-cost and easy to adopt, enabling students to focus on their P4 programming skills and to evaluate their designs on a physical target through interoperability tests with their colleagues. CCS CONCEPTS• Applied computing → Interactive learning environments; • Networks → Bridges and switches.