We present a VNF offloading use case in practice by providing a custom P4 implementation of an example network function (a firewall) and loading it onto the smartNIC. The video below walks you through how we integrated the smartNIC with an open-source ONOS controller using a dedicated smartNIC proxy developed expressly for the purpose by CodiLime’s R&D. It can be based on an SDN controller, for example.
Codi driver download how to#
They make it possible to express how the network dataplane has to process packets using P4 language, which is gaining in popularity in the networking industry and is considered the next step in the evolution of SDN.Īn important aspect is how to effectively control the P4 smartNIC at runtime phase. SmartNICs with P4 support are a particularly compelling solution in this context. The idea is to execute common network functions-a firewall, a NAT or a load balancer-directly on a smartNIC rather than as a virtual appliance (a virtual machine or a container) deployed on the server. SmartNICs are thus perfectly suited to optimize network performance in a data center, especially those that are programmable and offer the computing resources required.Ĭonsider the example of VNF (Virtual Network Function) offloading. SmartNICs, by contrast, offer much more sophisticated capabilities and allow you to perform advanced operations on packets. The traditional NIC (Network Interface Card) is a relatively simple device equipped with Ethernet interface(s) and used to enable connectivity between machines.