NFV and SDN enable flexibility and programmability at the data plane. In addition, offloading packet processing to a hardware saves processing resources to compute other workloads. However, fulfilling requirements such as high throughput and low latency with a flexible and programmable data plane is challenging. This paper introduces eBPFlow, a platform for seamlessly accelerating network computation. It builds upon eBPF. eBPFlow combines flexibility and programmability in software with high performance using an FPGA. We implemented our system on the NetFPGA SUME, performing tests on a physical testbed. We built a range of NFs. Our results show that the eBPFlow supports offloading of NFs with throughput at the line rate, latency between$20~\mu \text{s}$and$40~\mu \text{s}$, communication with host, and consumption of 22 W. Moreover, eBPFlow processes 12.05 Mpps more than the kernel. eBPFlow has a throughput of 2.59 Gbps higher than the hXDP, a system similar to eBPFlow.

Measurement and tracking have crucial roles in Software-Defined Networks (SDNs). Unfortunately, most of procedures and techniques to perform measurements and monitoring tasks are implemented in software at network end-hosts. Despite the large use, a software based approach generates imprecision, high costs, and makes monitoring more difficult. In this paper, we extend OpenFlow switch to implement a measurement architecture for SDN. Our system performs measurements in a simple and scalable way without depending on end-hosts. It allows monitoring the performance at the granularity of flows. Moreover, our system also enables software-defined measurements can collect flow's statistics on the fly. We have prototyped our architecture on the NetFPGA platform and, as an initial case study, we have implemented a module to measure packet interarrival time. This module has been validated in a realistic testbed. Our results demonstrate that the proposed architecture presents a negligible difference when compared to measurements performed by software at end-hosts.

This work presents a methodology based on simulator developers to be applied in several courses as well as research activities. This proposal is also based on “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” lessons. First, good programmers know what to write, however great ones know what to rewrite. Students could learn by developing new components to be added to the current simulator. Second, any tool should be useful in the expected way, but a truly great tool lends itself to uses you never expected. The proposed simulator has been developed to teach digital circuits. However, it can be used in many other computing engineering fields. Third point is motivation, where the lessons are driven by the following principle: To solve an interesting problem, start by finding a problem that is interesting to you. Nowadays, we are surrounded by Internet of things, where the simulator engine could be connected to learn and to motivate the students. Image processing could be taught by connecting your web-cam and/or your mobile device camera to your simulator engine. Moreover, mobile phones and/or Arduino devices have a set of sensors that could be captured inside of the virtual simulator lab.