REALIZING OPENFLOW SWITCHES WITH ARICENT FRAMEWORKS

REALIZING OPENFLOW
SWITCHES WITH ARICENT
FRAMEWORKS
MADHAVI RAVANAN
Senior Manager, Technology, Aricent
SARO VELRAJAN
Director, Technology, Aricent
REALIZING OPENFLOW SWITCHES
WITH ARICENT FRAMEWORKS
Software Defined Networking (SDN) presents limitless possibilities by offering unprecedented
OpEx and CapEx savings. Aricent is committed to the SDN revolution, providing comprehensive
software frameworks for OpenFlow that enable equipment vendors to gain a competitive
advantage in the soaring OpenFlow/SDN market. This paper explores how Aricent’s OpenFlow
frameworks can be leveraged by equipment vendors to build pure or hybrid OpenFlow network
equipment.
Introduction
Aricent’s Frameworks for OpenFlow
The numerous benefits of SDN and the emergence of OpenFlow
Aricent offers comprehensive and fully tested software frameworks
as the leading protocol for communication between controller
for OpenFlow, which include:
and switch have pushed equipment vendors to offer support for
>
OpenFlow protocol in their devices portfolio. In an effort to enable
equipment vendors to gain a competitive edge in the fast growing
OpenFlow/SDN market, Aricent offers pre-integrated, platform
agnostic, and completely tested software frameworks for OpenFlow.
These frameworks can be leveraged by equipment vendors to
build pure and hybrid OpenFlow switches and routers, under
aggressive timelines, with production-ready quality.
This whitepaper highlights the benefits of Aricent’s OpenFlow
frameworks, and explores how they can be leveraged to build
pure or hybrid OpenFlow switches for various deployments
across campus, datacenter, enterprise, and service-provider
networks.
OpenFlow Client – A control plane implementation based
on ONF OpenFlow Specification version 1.3.1
>
Fast Path Accelerator – A fast path processing implementation
based on ONF OpenFlow Specification version 1.3.1
>
Intelligent Switch Solution (ISS) – Widely deployed, industryleading L2-L3 switching and routing solution with support
for OpenFlow for hybrid SDN architectures
Infrastructure vendors looking to build equipment with pure or
hybrid OpenFlow capabilities can leverage Aricent’s OpenFlow
frameworks to save up to 80 percent in costs and 85 percent in
time to market compared to ground-up development. Aricent
aligns its software product roadmap to its customers’ needs
and offers hassle-free product support with aggressive SLA
commitments.
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
1
switches and enable OpenFlow on pre-existing platforms running
Server/Management Station(s)
custom control-plane software. Vendors looking to build hybrid
OpenFlow Controller
Legacy NMS
Aricent OpenFlow Client
Aricent Intelligent
Switching Solution
Traditional L2/L3/MPLS
Control Plane+
Management
OpenFlow network equipment can leverage Aricent’s ISS that
comes with OpenFlow support.
Aricent Fast Path
Accelerator
Pure OpenFlow Switch
Hybrid OpenFlow Switch
OpenFlow Controlled Parts
OpenFlow client is offered as a source code license to customers.
The benefits of Aricent’s OpenFlow client include:
>
Pre-integrated into leading reference silicon platforms such
as Broadcom Trident+
>
Ports Not Controlled
Through OpenFlow
Ease of porting to newer silicon platforms. OpenFlow client
has well-defined abstraction layers for OS, HW, and
management interfaces.
Figure 1: Aricent’s OpenFlow Frameworks
>
Support for OpenFlow Fast Path on multi-core platforms:
ARICENT’S OPENFLOW CLIENT
Aricent’s OpenFlow Fast Path Accelerator (FPA) is built on
Aricent’s OpenFlow client is a portable implementation of ONF
Intel’s Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) for multi-core
OpenFlow specification version 1.3.1. It enables communication
platforms. Aricent’s OpenFlow client is pre-integrated with
between the network equipment (switch/router) and the OpenFlow
the Aricent’s FPA. FPA is easily portable to other multi-core
controller.
platforms
OpenFlow client can be used to program the OpenFlow fast path
>
Readily available and easily adaptable management interfaces:
through the network processor interface. The OpenFlow fast path
Aricent’s OpenFlow client supports multiple management
can be realized either in the hardware ASIC, in software, or in a
interfaces like CLI, SNMP, and ConfD. OFConfig protocol
combination of both hardware ASIC and software.
support is planned in the roadmap
The software design of the OpenFlow client supports portability
>
on a wide range of processor platforms, from monolithic
table entries in the software, and the framework is further
architectures to distributed shared memory and message-passing
architectures as in the multi-core processors.
The OpenFlow client is available as a stand-alone package or as
Support for upwards of a million flow entries in the software:
Aricent’s OpenFlow client supports at least a million flowextensible
>
OpenFlow client supports up to 1,200 flow additions per second
>
Aricent’s OpenFlow client integrated with FPA has achieved
an enabled feature in Aricent’s ISS solution. The stand-alone
10 Gpbs of forwarding plane performance on Intel’s multi-
OpenFlow client package can be used to both realize pure OpenFlow
core platform
Socket Layer
OS Abstraction
OS
Connection Manager
Database
(Flow, Group, Meter)
Core
(Timer, Queue, Event)
Packet Tx/Rx
Pipeline Process
Interface Manager
Hardware Abstraction Layer (Data Plane Processing)
Management CLI, Console, Telnet, SSH,
WebUI, HTTP, SSL, SNMPv 3
OpenFlow Client
Silicon Driver/SDK
Ethernet Switch Silicon (Broadcom, Marvell, Fulcrum)
Figure 2 : Aricent’s OpenFlow Client Architecture
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
2
ARICENT’S FAST PATH ACCELERATOR
>
Aricent’s Fast Path Accelerator (FPA) is an implementation of
OpenFlow pipeline processing requirements given in ONF OpenFlow
>
specification version 1.3.1. FPA is implemented on Intel’s Data
Plane Development Kit (DPDK) for multi-core platforms. FPA’s
architecture is modular, with flexible building blocks that can
easily be extended to other multi-core platforms.
>
>
Support for sending and receiving packets from control plane
Conforms to Aricent Network Processor API (NPAPI) and
is pre-integrated with Aricent frameworks for OpenFlow, like
Aricent’s OpenFlow client and ISS
Support for IPSec and IPv4 routing, L2 Access Control Lists
(ACLs) for OpenFlow, and diagnostics for determining state
of the internal data path
>
Support for traffic load balancing across various blocks,
cores, and threads
Aricent’s OpenFlow FPA capabilities include:
>
Support for multi-threaded operations, enabling multiple
instances of one or more functional blocks in the FPA
Aricent’s Fast Path Accelerator is designed to provide:
>
High performance and scalability tailored to multi-core
environments
Support for run to completion, pipeline model, and a
combination of these scheduling models for pipeline processing
>
>
Ease of integration with third-party vendor control plane stacks
Ease of integration with accelerator functions provided by
ASICs and FPGAs
>
OpenFlow Fast Path Accelerator
Support for pluggable components in the fast path. Fast
Path pipeline can be organized flexibly by adding and removing
components
>
Data Path
Block
OpenFlow Client
Load
Balancer
Block
NPAPI
Tailored to functioning in pipeline, run to completion, and in
combination of the two
>
Easily portable across multiple processor architectures, like
- Intel, Octeon (Cavium), XLP (Broadcom), etc.
>
Supported across multiple operating system platforms,
including bare metal environment
ARICENT’S INTELLIGENT SWITCH SOLUTION
Hardware Accelerator Pipeline
Aricent’s industry leading and proven Layer-2 and Layer-3
switching and routing framework, Intelligent Switch Solution
(ISS), is integrated with the OpenFlow framework to render a
comprehensive framework for building hybrid OpenFlow
Figure 3 : Aricent’s Fast Path Accelerator
OS Abstraction
System Management
Config Save/Restore, DHCP, RMON,
Syslog Mirroring, s/w Upgrade
Chassis Management
Hot Swap Mgmt, Redundancy
Mgmt, Hitless Restart
Layer 3 - IPv4 Suite
TCP/IP Stack, RIPv2, OSPFv2, ISIS, BGP4, PIM,
DVMRP, VRRP, MSDP
Layer 3 - IPv6 Suite
TCP/IP Stack, RIP6, OSPFv3, ISIS, BGP4+,
IPSecv6, v6-tunneling, MSDP
Qos
Differv, 802.1p, Rate Limit, Storm Control, Queuing
MPLS
PWE3 L2VPN, MPLS-TP, LDP, RSVPTE, BFD,
LSP-Ping, Y.1731
Advance Layer 2 Suite - Virtual Switch Contacts, E-OAM, ECFM, Provider Bridging, PBB, PBB-TE,
G.8031, G.8032, IEEE 1588 PTP
Basic Layer 2 Suite
VLAN, RSTP, MSTP, GVRP, GMRP, MRP,
Link Aggregation, IGMP(v3) Snooping
Security
802.1x, SSL, SSH, Radius, ACL
Management
CLI, Console, Telnet, SSH,
WebUI, HTTP, SSL, SNMPv3
OS
OpenFlow Client
network equipment.
ISS Hardware Abstraction Layer
Silicon Driver/SDK
Ethernet Switch Silicon (Broadcom, Marvell, Fulcrum)
Figure 4 : Aricent’s Intelligent Switch Solution
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
3
Intelligent Switching Solution (ISS) is a comprehensive, feature-
PURE OPENFLOW SWITCHES
rich software product for developing a wide range of intelligent
Two possible cases for pure OpenFlow switch realization are:
Ethernet switching applications, from entry-level, fixed-port, fast
>
Ethernet switches to module-based Gigabit stackable switches
Case 1: Software-only OpenFlow switch implementation
on the system CPU
and Metro Ethernet-based carrier-class systems to data center,
>
as well as industrial switching solutions. A field-proven software
Case 2: A Combination of hardware- and software-based
switches for pure OpenFlow
product, ISS is an integral component to over 100 commercial
products developed by leading telecom equipment manufacturers.
Aricent’s OpenFlow client is pre-integrated with Aricent’s FPA.
ISS offers Layer-2 switching, Layer-3 routing, MPLS transport,
This pre-integrated solution can be leveraged to realize pure
security, system software features, and multiple management
OpenFlow switches. Both the OpenFlow client and FPA provide
interfaces. It is pre-integrated into a variety of silicon platforms
the flexibility for adding custom extensions. The FPA provides
and operating systems. ISS can also be leveraged to build hybrid
additional hooks for customizations to the data path block. Hence,
OpenFlow network equipment.
extensions to the OpenFlow specification, such as OAM, BFD, etc.
ISS supports enabling OpenFlow at the ports/VLAN level. Ports/
that are being proposed in the revisions of the specification, can
VLANs can be provisioned as either OpenFlow ports/VLANs or
be addressed on the data plane as well.
traditional ports/VLANs. Traffic coming in through physical and
Case 1: Software-Only Pure OpenFlow Switch on Intel’s ATCA
logical ports of an OpenFlow VLAN is processed at the OpenFlow
Platform
pipeline, while those coming in through traditional VLAN ports
The figure below depicts an OpenFlow switch on an Intel ATCA
are processed at the L2/L3 data plane.
platform using Aricent‘s pre-integrated OpenFlow frameworks
like OpenFlow client and FPA. The Aricent’s FPA runs on Intel’s
DPDK on Linux OS in a multi-core processor environment. Aricent’s
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with
Aricent Frameworks
OpenFlow client runs on one of the cores while the remaining split
cores run the Aricent’s FPA. An optional offload-processor can be
used for any specialized processing, such as security pipeline,
Aricent’s OpenFlow frameworks can be leveraged to build both
pattern matching, etc.
pure and hybrid OpenFlow switches and routers. This section
The external OpenFlow controller can use the OpenFlow interface
describes how each can be achieved.
provided by the OpenFlow client to program the switching logic.
The OpenFlow client internally programs the FPA’s flow tables.
Data traffic flow in and out of the switch is as depicted in Figure 5.
Flow Table Programming
Aricent Fast Path Accelerator
Data Traffic
Aricent OpenFlow Client Stack
DPDK
Poll Mode Driver (PMD)
User Space
OF-Config
Linux IP Stack
PMD Driver .ko
Kernel Space
Core 1
Core 2
Core 3
Core 4
Aricent OpenFlow
Controller and
Configurator
OpenFlow
Communication/Offload Processor:
Cave Creek
Multi-core Processor
NIC
OpenFlow Ports
Figure 5: OpenFlow Switch on Intel ATCA Platform
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
4
Case 2: Merchant Silicon-Based Pure OpenFlow Switch
>
The interfaces published by Aricent’s OpenFlow client can be
programmed to use the merchant silicon for forwarding some
or all of the flows.
Case 1: Upgrading an existing equipment for hybrid OpenFlow
capabilities
>
Case 2: Building a hybrid OpenFlow equipment from the
ground up
Support for a combination of software- and hardware-based
Both of the above cases can be achieved by leveraging the
forwarding enables equipment vendors to implement different
current ISS release with OpenFlow support. The Common
flows in different devices. For example, the macro flows can be
Forwarding Agent (CFA) in ISS evaluates the data traffic at any
handled in hardware and the fine grained controlled flows can be
given time and passes it on for either OpenFlow pipeline processing
handled on the FPA, both under the control of the OpenFlow client.
or for the traditional pipeline processing, depending which type
of VLAN the traffic arrived. Data traffic from OpenFlow VLANs is
Aricent’s OpenFlow client provides reference fast-path
implementations on leading merchant silicon platform for
OpenFlow pipeline processing.
processed at the OpenFlow pipeline, while data traffic from
traditional VLANs is processed at the normal pipeline. The
solution provides built-in control of resource partitioning across
the two domains realized on the same merchant silicon. This can
HYBRID OPENFLOW SWITCHES
be customized further by the equipment vendors to differentiate
It is widely understood that it is not realistic to completely rip off
their solution. The hybrid solution supports the flow of OpenFlow
the conventional networking devices present in today’s networks
traffic, traditional or legacy traffic, and traffic flow across the
and replace them with pure OpenFlow devices. It is critical to
two domains.
follow a gradual migration path by introducing OpenFlow support
along with the traditional control planes in the existing network
For equipment with customers’ own control planes, the pre-
devices. Hence, hybrid OpenFlow solutions are currently in need.
integrated OpenFlow client and FPA solution can be incorporated
This section covers how hybrid OpenFlow equipment can be
quickly to enable OpenFlow support for the equipment.
realized leveraging Aricent’s frameworks, including:
Server/Management Station(s)
OpenFlow Controller
Legacy NMS
Aricent Frameworks for OpenFlow
Aricent Intelligent Switch Solution (ISS)
Management - CLI, SNMP, WebUI
Aricent OpenFlow Client (OFC)
System Functions, ACL, QoS, Mirroring,
Chassis Management, System Monitoring, DHCP, etc.
Traditional Control Plane Protocols for
L2 Switching, L3 Routing, MPLS, DCB, CE
Hardware Abstraction Layer
Porting Layer for Switching Silicon
Aricent Fast Path Accelerator (FPA)
System CPU
Merchant Switching Silicon
Hardware Layer
Ports of OpenFlow VLAN
Legend
Ports of Conventional L2/L3 VLANs
Aricent Frameworks
Figure 6: Hybrid OpenFlow Switch
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
5
SDN Solutions Enabled by Aricent’s
OpenFlow
Until now, innovations in networking were mostly around
increasing the throughput or packet-forwarding capacity of
WLAN and Policy
Management Apps
SDN Controller
OpenFlow
(Flow Tables
Management)
network devices such as routers and switches. However, Software
Defined Networks (SDN) changed the way networks were designed,
developed, and deployed. SDN provides significant opportunities
for service providers to optimize their network architecture, launch
Existing L2/L3
function in WLAN
Controller
OpenFlow
Client
WLAN
Controller
User
Data Traffic
newer services, and monetize better.
CAPWAP Server
Aricent’s OpenFlow frameworks enable a number of solutions
for OEMs/ODMs, Network Service Providers (NSPs), and Cloud
Service Providers (CSPs). This section outlines a few solutions
that are enabled by Aricent’s OpenFlow frameworks.
SDN-ENABLED WLAN SOLUTION
Access Points
(running
CAPWAP
Client)
CAPWAP
(Device
Management)
Figure 7: WLAN Controller in the SDN Architecture (Solution A)
Today, WLAN controllers use proprietary protocols to manage
access points deployed in the network. While using proprietary
protocols may be sufficient in an enterprise or campus deployment
where access points are supplied by a single vendor, it may be
SDN
Applications
Radio
Mgmt
Roaming
inadequate for a multi-vendor deployment such as carrier Wi-Fi
Policy
Control
QoS
Analytics
deployment, where service providers roll out thousands of hotspots.
This brings the need for a standard protocol such as CAPWAP for
the management of access points. With service providers adopting
SDN, OEMs are looking for ways to integrate SDN and WLAN
architectures. Aricent’s OpenFlow client can be integrated with
Integrated
WLAN and
SDN
Controller
Existing L2/L3
Functions in
WLAN
Controller
SDN
Controller
CAPWAP
WLAN Access Controller (AC) or Access Points (AP) to provide
a complete SDN-enabled WLAN solution. Here are the benefits
of the solution:
>
Unified policies for wired and WLAN networks
>
Centralized management and monitoring of both wired and
OpenFlow
(Flow Tables
Management)
CAPWAP
(Device
Management)
WLAN networks
>
Highly scalable architecture for enterprise and carrier Wi-Fi
deployments
>
User
Data
Traffic
Increased programmability and fine-grained control of WLAN
functions
For deployments in which user data traffic is routed from access
points to the access controllers, OpenFlow client functionality is
Access
Points
OpenFlow CAPWAP
Client
Client
OpenFlow
Client
CAPWAP
Client
implemented in the WLAN access controller. The possible
deployments include thin AP, such as in enterprise and campus
Wi-Fi networks. For deployments in which user data traffic is
Figure 8: WLAN Controller in the SDN Architecture (Solution B)
routed from APs directly to the outside network, OpenFlow client
functionality is implemented in the WLAN APs. The possible
SDN-ENABLED BROADBAND ACCESS SOLUTION
deployments include fat AP, such as in carrier Wi-Fi networks.
Service providers are discovering ways to optimize their network
Aricent’s OpenFlow client framework can be integrated into OEM’s
architecture to save on the CAPEX, to reduce OPEX, and to roll out
existing WLAN access controller and WLAN AP products.
innovative services quickly. OEMs can enable service providers
Alternatively, OEMs can license Aricent’s OpenFlow enabled WLAN
to significantly cut down on costs and provide additional
Switching Solutions (WSS), which include the complete WLAN
monetizable services to their customers by developing SDN-
access controller and AP framework integrated with OpenFlow
enabled solutions. One such solution for service providers is
client software.
virtualizing network functions such as Customer Premise
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
6
Equipment (CPE) and Broadband Remote Access Servers (BRAS).
international private line. SDN architecture expects OSS
Today, CPE provides a number of network functions such as
solution to become more open
firewall, access control, policy management, and discovering/
>
OSS architecture has to migrate from proprietary/non-
connecting devices at home using DLNA or UPnP. Service
standard network management technologies to standard
providers can cut cost, by embracing SDN and by virtualizing the
SDN-based management technologies (e.g., OF Config and
CPE functions. In an SDN architecture, OpenFlow can be used for
OpenFlow protocols)
flow-table management in Residential Gateway (RG). Aricent’s
OpenFlow client framework can be integrated into existing or
>
Network management interfaces have to be abstracted to
simplify the management of networks in a multi-vendor
new RG solutions.
deployment
The following are some benefits of using Aricent’s Intelligent
>
Enabling programmability and dynamic provisioning of
Switching Solutions (ISS) and OpenFlow client for virtualized
network services (e.g., dynamically varying bandwidth for
applications:
applications instead of statically provisioning of bandwidth)
>
Scalable for low CPU/memory footprint deployments such
as RGs and CPEs
>
building products with Aricent’s OpenFlow client framework,
Supports hybrid architectures where the CPE is connected
which provides the following benefits for a carrier network solution:
to both legacy and SDN-enabled networks
>
OEMs can help service providers solve the above challenges by
>
Licensable as a complete solution (i.e., OpenFlow-enabled
Standards-compliant OpenFlow implementation that
interoperates with popular SDN controllers in the market
residential gateway solution) or a standalone OpenFlow
such as Floodlight, Trema, and NOX
client-stack framework
>
Supports multiple flow tables for service providers to
configure policies such as QoS and rate-limiting
SDN-ENABLED CARRIER NETWORK SOLUTION
>
Software Defined Networking (SDN) is forcing service providers
to redefine their network architecture. Some of the challenges
faced by service providers in migrating to SDN architecture are:
>
Scales up to 1 million flow entries in the software and is ideal
for deployments in edge routing or switching products
>
Supports hybrid architecture for coexistence with legacy
routers/switches in the core or on the edge
OSS typically has point solutions designed to manage a range
of services such as IP, VPN, VOIP, video conferencing, and
Residential Gateways
OpenFlow Client
OF Config (Device Mgmt)
Thin ISS
OF Config
SDN Controller
vCPE
Thin ISS
Cloud Controller
Internet
OpenFlow Client
Thin ISS
OpenFlow
(Flow Mgmt)
RG
SDN Controller
Cloud
vCPE
> Flow Tables
> Route Calculation and Propagation
> Access Functions (DHCP,
> NAPT Bindings
> Device Management
PPP/oE, DLNA/UPnP, SNTP)
> Data Forwarding
> Network Monitoring
> Policy Management (Firewall,
ACL, Rate-Limiting, etc.)
Figure 9: Aricent’s vCPE Solution
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
7
API for Integration with Northbound System
(Service Provisioning/Activation, etc.)
Logs Collector
Network
Monitoring
Console
Subscriber Database
and Policy Server
Notherbound API
Network Operation
and Control (NOC)
Notherbound API
Inventory & Audit Manager
Accounting
Server
NMS
Analytics and
Reporting
Device Config Alarms & Events
Manager
Manager
Analytics and
Statistics
Traps or Events
Bandwidth
Management
Topology
Manager
Network
Monitor
Route
Manager
SDN Controller
Core Network
OpenFlow
(Route Provisioning
Network Monitoring
Topology Updates)
OF Config Based
Device Configuration
(OpenFlow Management
and Configuration Protocol)
Hybrid
Edge Router
OpenFlow
Client
Existing L2/L3
Functions
OpenFlow
Client
Existing L2/L3
Functions
OpenFlow
Client
Existing L2/L3
Functions
Figure 10: SDN-Enabled Carrier Network
Conclusion
Aricent’s OpenFlow frameworks enable equipment vendors to
class design, development, testing, and sustenance services to
gain competitive edge in the fast-growing OpenFlow/SDN market.
help customers bring innovative SDN and OpenFlow solutions
Aricent’s OpenFlow client is pre-integrated with our industry
to market. Coupled with Aricent’s deep domain expertise in data
leading ISS solution, which can be leveraged to build hybrid
center, transport, and enterprise networks, we help deliver
OpenFlow switches and routers. The OpenFlow client is platform-
solutions across the SDN spectrum.
agnostic and pre-integrated into leading silicon platforms. Aricent’s
OpenFlow Fast Path Accelerator on Intel’s DPDK and reference
porting layer implementation for leading silicon platform offers
For more information, visit
aricent.com/software/software-defined-networking.html
compelling advantages to equipment vendors by offeringworld-
MADHAVI RAVANAN
SARO VELRAJAN
is a Senior Manager at Aricent,
is a director of Technology at
driving strategic technology
Aricent. He has 15 years of
initiatives in wireline across
experience working for companies
OpenFlow/SDN, NFV, WLAN
such as Cisco, Ericsson, and Juniper,
and Cloud.
specializing in broadband access,
[email protected]
WLAN, content delivery, and
software-defined networks.
[email protected]
Realizing OpenFlow Switches with Aricent Frameworks
8
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