mSwitch

Abstract

In recent years software network switches have regained eminence as a result of a number of growing trends, including the prominence of software-defined networks, as well as their use as back-ends to virtualization technologies, to name a few. Consequently, a number of high performance switches have been recently proposed in the literature, though none of these simultaneously provide (1) high packet rates, (2) high throughput, (3) low CPU usage, (4) high port density and (5) a flexible data plane. This is not by chance: these features conflict, and while achieving one or a few of them is (now) a solved problem, addressing the combination requires significant new design effort.