CAREER: Stateless Network Functions: Building a Better Network Through Disaggregation

为了提高性能，安全性和可靠性，网络从业者已经摆脱了无状态网络的原则，并将有状态处理添加到互联网防火墙，负载均衡器和入侵检测系统等设备中。 这样一来，网络就变得越来越复杂和脆弱。 该提案的研究目标是为基于分散虚拟网络功能的变革性网络架构提供基础。开发这种能力将提高虚拟计算系统的性能和操作，包括计算云，并最终使美国的信息技术能力更具竞争力。该项目将引入新的系统和算法，使分散的网络功能架构成为可能，利用低延迟数据存储中分布式系统的最新进展，以及网络处理的独特属性，其可用于优化处理和状态之间的接口。 具体地说，该提案将：1）开发算法和系统基础，以克服在面对增加的延迟、访问状态的开销和并发执行时实现所需性能的挑战;以及2）创建新颖的网络管理能力，其利用分散的网络功能来实现对负载变化，组件故障，以及软件或配置更新。

To improve performance, security, and reliability, network practitioners have moved away from the principle of a stateless network and added stateful processing to devices such as internet firewalls, load balancers, and intrusion detection systems. In doing so, networks have become increasingly complex and brittle. The research objective of this proposal is to provide the foundation for a transformative network architecture based on disaggregated virtual network functions. Developing this capability will improve the performance and operation of virtualized computing systems, including compute clouds, and ultimately make US information technology capabilities more competitive.This project will introduce the new systems and algorithms to make a disaggregated network function architecture possible, leveraging recent advances in distributed systems in low-latency data stores, and the unique properties of network processing that can be used to optimize the interface between the processing and state. Specifically, this proposal will: 1) develop the algorithmic and system underpinnings that overcome the challenges in achieving the needed performance in the face of added latency, overhead in accessing state, and concurrent execution; and 2) create novel network management capabilities that leverage disaggregated network functions to realize a network function infrastructure that is efficient and robust to load changes, component failures, and software or configuration updates.