CNS Core: Small: Transparent Network Acceleration

随着联网设备的增加，网络流量也随之增加。我们每天使用的应用程序，如视频会议，每个都需要处理流量以保护和优化应用程序。目前的网络基础设施有迹象表明，在不久的将来，它将无法跟上不断增长的需求或增加的需求，例如有更多参与者的更高清晰度的视频通话，以及通信中难以察觉的延迟。虽然已经提出了一些解决方案来帮助解决这一问题，但这样做是以兼容性为代价的，这将需要重写在十多年中开发和测试的大量软件。该方案引入了一种新的网络流量处理方式，在满足应用需求的同时，实现了与现代软件的向前和向后兼容。特别是，该方案引入了透明网络加速(TNA)，这是一种将Linux网络功能分解为快路径和慢路径功能的新型体系结构，每个功能都有明确优化的执行环境。TNA动态自动构建在运行时实例化和调整的最小快速路径，从而实现完全保留Linux网络接口的透明加速的网络堆栈。介绍了两种核心机制。首先，为了创建高效的快速路径，TNA仅自动且动态地实例化所使用的网络堆栈部分。引入了新的技术来反思Linux内核，构建函数依赖图，并组装和部署最优的快速路径。其次，它从模块的单个源代码描述中瞄准两个快速路径执行环境：(I)用于内核处理的快速数据路径(XDP)，以及(Ii)基于现场可编程门阵列(FPGA)的SmartNIC，用于硬件加速处理。作为这些目标的一部分，模块的设计、对硬件或软件的编译以及状态同步代表了一种新颖而完整的设计流程。为了展示这两个核心机制的有效性，我们完成了一个案例研究，即自动加速部署了防火墙和容器网络等因素的选择性转发单元(SFU)视频会议网络功能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With the increase in connected devices comes an increase in network traffic. Applications that we use every day, such as video conferencing, each need to have traffic processed to secure and optimize the application. Current network infrastructure is showing signs that in the near future it won't be able to keep up with the growing demand or increased needs, such as having higher definition video calls with more participants and imperceptible delays in the communication. While some solutions have been proposed to help solve this problem, they do so at the cost of compatibility, which would require rewriting a large body of software that has been developed and tested over the course of over a decade. This proposal introduces a new way of thinking about the way network traffic is handled that will enable both forward and backwards compatibility with modern software while meeting the needs of applications.In particular, this proposal introduces Transparent Network Acceleration (TNA), which is a novel architecture that decomposes Linux network functionality into fast-path and slow-path functions with explicitly optimized execution environments for each. TNA dynamically and automatically builds a minimal fast path that is instantiated and adjusted at run-time, leading to a transparently accelerated networking stack that fully retains the Linux networking interfaces. Two core mechanisms are introduced. First, to create a highly efficient fast path, TNA automatically and dynamically instantiates only the part of the network stack that is used. New techniques are introduced to introspect the Linux kernel, build a dependency graph of functions, and assemble and deploy an optimal fast path. Second, it targets two fast-path execution environments from a single source code description of modules: (i) the eXpress Data Path (XDP), for in-kernel processing, and (ii) a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based SmartNIC, for hardware accelerated processing. As part of these targets, the design of modules, the compilation to hardware or software, and synchronizing the state represent a novel and complete design flow. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of these two core mechanisms, we complete the project with a case study of automatically accelerating a selective forwarding unit (SFU) video conferencing network function deployed with considerations such as firewalling and container networking.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.