Serverless computing promises an efficient, low-cost compute capability in cloud environments. However, existing solutions, epitomized by open-source platforms such as Knative, include heavyweight components that undermine this goal of serverless computing. Additionally, such serverless platforms lack dataplane optimizations to achieve efficient, high-performance function chains that facilitate the popular microservices development paradigm. Their use of unnecessarily complex and duplicate capabilities for building function chains severely degrades performance. ‘Cold-start’ latency is another deterrent. We describe, a lightweight, high-performance, responsive serverless framework. exploits shared memory processing and dramatically improves the scalability of the dataplane by avoiding unnecessary protocol processing and serialization-deserialization overheads. extensively leverages event-driven processing with the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF). We creatively use eBPF’s socket message mechanism to support shared memory processing, with overheads being strictly load-proportional. Compared to constantly-running, polling-based DPDK, achieves the same dataplane performance with 10$\times$less CPU usage under realistic workloads. Additionally, eBPF benefits, by replacing heavyweight serverless components, allowing us to keep functions ‘warm’ with negligible penalty. Our preliminary experimental results show that achieves an order of magnitude improvement in throughput and latency compared to Knative, while substantially reducing CPU usage, and obviates the need for ‘cold-start’.

Traditional network resident functions (e.g., firewalls, network address translation) and middleboxes (caches, load balancers) have moved from purpose-built appliances to softwarebased components. However, L2/L3 network functions (NFs) are being implemented on Network Function Virtualization (NFV) platforms that extensively exploit kernel-bypass technology. They often use DPDK for zero-copy delivery and high performance. On the other hand, L4/L7 middleboxes, which have a greater emphasis on functionality, take advantage of a full-fledged kernelbased system. L2/L3 NFs and L4/L7 middleboxes continue to be handled by distinct platforms on different nodes. This paper proposes MiddleNet that develops a unified network resident function framework that supports L2/L3 NFs and L4/L7 middleboxes. MiddleNet supports function chains that are essential in both NFV and middlebox environments. MiddleNet uses the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) library for zero-copy packet delivery without interrupt-based processing, to enable the ’bumpin-the-wire’ L2/L3 processing performance required of NFV. To support L4/L7 middlebox functionality, MiddleNet utilizes a consolidated, kernel-based protocol stack for processing, avoiding a dedicated protocol stack for each function. MiddleNet fully exploits the event-driven capabilities of the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) and seamlessly integrates it with shared memory for high-performance communication in L4/L7 middlebox function chains. The overheads for MiddleNet in L4/L7 are strictly load-proportional, without needing the dedicated CPU cores of DPDK-based approaches. MiddleNet supports flow-dependent packet processing by leveraging Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) to dynamically select the packet processing needed (Layers 2 -7). Our experimental results show that MiddleNet achieves high performance in such a unified environment.

Traditional network resident functions (e.g., firewalls, network address translation) and middleboxes (caches, load balancers) have moved from purpose-built appliances to software-based components. However, L2/L3 network functions (NFs) are being implemented on Network Function Virtualization (NFV) platforms that extensively exploit kernel-bypass technology. They often use DPDK for zero-copy delivery and high performance. On the other hand, L4/L7 middleboxes, which usually require full network protocol stack support, take advantage of a full-fledged kernel-based system with a greater emphasis on functionality. Thus, L2/L3 NFs and middleboxes continue to be handled by distinct platforms on different nodes.This paper proposes MiddleNet that seeks to overcome this dichotomy by developing a unified network resident function framework that supports L2/L3 NFs and L4/L7 middleboxes. MiddleNet supports function chains that are essential in both NFV and middlebox environments. MiddleNet uses DPDK for zero-copy packet delivery without interrupt-based processing, to enable the ‘bump-in-the-wire’ L2/L3 processing performance required of NFV. To support L4/L7 middlebox functionality, MiddleNet utilizes a consolidated, kernel-based protocol stack processing, avoiding a dedicated protocol stack for each function. MiddleNet fully exploits the event-driven capabilities provided by the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) and seamlessly integrates it with shared memory for high-performance communication in L4/L7 middlebox function chains. The overheads for MiddleNet are strictly load-proportional, without needing the dedicated CPU cores of DPDK-based approaches. MiddleNet supports flow-dependent packet processing by leveraging Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) to dynamically select packet processing needed (Layer 2 to Layer 7). Our experimental results show that MiddleNet can achieve high performance in such a unified environment.

Softwarized network resident functions have been extensively used to replace purpose-built appliances. However, there is a lack of alternatives for richer network resident functionality with a seamless combination of L2/L3 Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and L4/L7 middleboxes.We propose MiddleNet, a unified L2/L3 NFV and L4/L7 middlebox framework. MiddleNet uses DPDK in L2/L3 NFV to achieve high-performance, zero-copy packet delivery. MiddleNet exploits the event-driven capabilities of extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) to build up lightweight L4/L7 middleboxes with load-proportional overheads. MiddleNet constructs complex L2/L3 NF and L4/L7 middlebox function chains with low overhead using shared memory communication. With the integration of Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV), MiddleNet supports dynamically selecting packet processing layers (L2 to L7) based on the flow. In this demo, we show MiddleNet’s operation.

Serverless computing promises an efficient, low-cost compute capability in cloud environments. However, existing solutions, epitomized by open-source platforms such as Knative, include heavyweight components that undermine this goal of serverless computing. Additionally, such serverless platforms lack dataplane optimizations to achieve efficient, high-performance function chains that facilitate the popular microservices development paradigm. Their use of unnecessarily complex and duplicate capabilities for building function chains severely degrades performance. 'Cold-start' latency is another deterrent.