EAGER: Leveraging Server Offload Features For High-Performance Network Function Implementations

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

Network functions (NFs), or middleboxes, examine and modify network packets and flows in sophisticated ways. Examples include, intrusion detection systems (IDSs), load balancers, caching proxies, etc. Recently, there has been a strong push to replace dedicated NF hardware with software-based NFs running on generic compute resources---trend known as network functions virtualization (NFV). NFV is taking root in a variety of setting, including service provider, telco, enterprise and data center networks. With a corresponding steep increase in the design and deployment of software-based middleboxes it has therefore become crucial to understand how best to implement middlebox software, so as to meet or exceed the performance and functionality of hardware elements without the cost. The project aims to verify the assumption that the novel hardware and virtualization software capabilities of modern server equipment can play a crucial role in effective middlebox software implementation. In particular, modern servers now support a variety of acceleration features, in particular on their network interface cards, or NICs which now support a variety of "offload" features. Likewise, on the software front, there are innovations such as containers, which offer a leaner alternative to virtualization than traditional virtual machines. In this project the principal investigator seeks to understand whether it is possible, and how to, optimally implement a given middlebox's functionality in a manner that is split suitably between middlebox-internal custom software and various intrinsic hardware and software acceleration features and support. The proposed research will evaluate the feasibility and limits of middlebox re-implementation given state-of-the-art server hardware and virtualization software. The exploration will entail: a measurement-based study of the performance of various modern hardware/software feature sets; prototyping simple middleboxes to leverage the available features optimally; understanding performance of offload features in various multi-tenant/virtualized settings, focusing in particular on the impact of interference; and, understanding how best to support distributed middleboxes and service chaining in NFV. Intellectual Merit: This project will lead to key initial insights into the opportunities and challenges posed by server acceleration features and modern virtualization software in effectively realizing future software middleboxes. The project will lead to benchmark suites for testing middlebox implementations. It will also result in initial software prototypes of a small class of high performance middleboxes. The outcomes of this initial exploration can inform further research into how to restructure data center software infrastructure as a whole by leveraging these emerging features. It can also inform research into appropriate APIs and frameworks for effectively supporting future SDN+NFV scenarios. Broader Impacts: If successful, this exploratory work can lead to a much larger and potentially transformative research program, rooted around systematic APIs for invoking appropriate hardware and software features for all future data center infrastructures. The PI plans to engage a postdoctoral research in conducting this research, thus providing professional development opportunities for the postdoctoral researcher involved. The research will leverage CloudLab heavily for experimentation. Outcomes from this research will be made available as profiles on CloudLab for other researchers to leverage in their work. This research will also be tightly integrated into a Cloud Computing course that PI Akella will be teaching in the Fall of 2015, and into other graduate and undergraduate systems and networking courses at UW-Madison. The PI will engage with the relevant industry partners to ensure that the project employs state-of-the-art hardware and software and to keep the industry abreast of the project's latest findings.