Developing Virtual Network Infrastructures Based on Programmable Data-plane Devices Using the P4 Language Running on a Basic Testbed (#514)

Authors

Bernal, Iván

Becerra, Fernando

Mejía, David

Abstract

Software Defined networking (SDN) decouples the control plane from the data plane, delegating control to a central controller that determines how network devices (switches) will operate. These devices perform only switching tasks and possess limited intelligence. As network architecture evolves, the data plane should also be programmable, adding flexibility for changes and improving performance. The P4 programming language is used to define how to customize the data plane of such devices. P4 is a high-level language for programming packet processors, independent of the protocol. General aspects of P4 version 16, the structure of a P4 program, and its correspondence with the processing pipeline in the programmable device are presented. A testbed using open-source software is implemented for compiling, testing, and debugging P4 programs. Additionally, several applications are developed using the testbed infrastructure, one of which is based on in-band network telemetry (INT). The general characteristics of their development and functionality are described.