A Hybrid Data Plane SDN Architecture Based on Cloud-Native for Segment Routing Over IPv6
Donglei Yuan, Chi Jiang, Yuli Zhao, Hai Bo Yu, Zhiliang Zhu · IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management · 2025
SRv6 (Segment Routing over IPv6) serves as the cornerstone for next-generation internet solutions. In SRv6 networks, SDN architectures address critical challenges like multi-cloud SRv6 traffic engineering through deep integration with SRH parsing and Kubernetes CNI. Existing SDN implementations face two key limitations: 1) Inability to concurrently configure hybrid data planes combining VPP and Linux nodes, which diminishes SRv6’s cross-plane advantages; 2) Operational complexity from maintaining synchronization between disparate controllers, hindering unified southbound management of SRv6 nodes. To resolve these issues, we propose a redesigned SDN architecture for cloud-native networks featuring two innovations: 1) A Linux SR Plugin (LSP) southbound interface enabling coordinated SRv6 support across heterogeneous nodes; 2) Enhanced northbound API capabilities through key-value store integration with cloud platforms. The implemented LSP plugin allows transparent management of hybrid data planes via business-focused API operations. Our experimental validation demonstrates that the LSP successfully verifies all SRv6 configurations supported by both the Linux and VPP data planes while achieving ≥400 configurations/second throughput. These results confirm the LSP’s capability to deliver unified southbound control for SRv6 across heterogeneous network environments.