An Active Network Services Architecture for Routers with Silicon-Based Forwarding Engines
R. Jaeger, Bob Duncan, Franco Travostino, Tal Lavian, Jeffrey K. Hollingsworth · 2000
Current network devices enable connectivity between end systems with support for routing with a defined set of protocol software bundled with the hardware. These devices do not support user customization or the introduction of new software applications. Active networking devices allow for the dynamic downloading of customized programs into network devices allowing for the introduction of new protocols and application services. The Oplet Runtime Environment (ORE) is a programmable network architecture built on a Gigabit Ethernet L3 Routing Switch to support downloadable services. Complementing the ORE, we introduce the JFWD API, a uniform, platform-independent portal through which application programmers control the forwarding engines of heterogeneous network nodes (e.g., switches and routers). The ORE architecture enables industry and customer specific services to run on silicon-based network devices. Index terms-- Distributed Applications, Networking Protocols, ANTS, NodeOS, ORE, Pro...