DPDK

What it is

DPDK is a set of libraries and drivers for fast packet processing. It was designed to run on any processors. The first supported CPU was Intel x86 and it is now extended to IBM POWER and ARM. It runs mostly in Linux userland. A FreeBSD port is available for a subset of DPDK features.

DPDK is an Open Source BSD licensed project. The most recent patches and enhancements, provided by the community, are available in master branch.

Main libraries

• multicore framework
• huge page memory
• ring buffers
• poll-mode drivers

Usage

These libraries can be used to:

• receive and send packets within the minimum number of CPU cycles (usually less than 80 cycles)
• develop fast packet capture algorithms (tcpdump-like)
• run third-party fast path stacks

Some packet processing functions have been benchmarked up to hundreds million frames per second, using 64-byte packets with a PCIe NIC.

What it is not

DPDK is not a networking stack and does not provide functions such as Layer-3 forwarding, IPsec, firewalling, etc. Within the tree, however, various application examples are included to help developing such features.

Some support and services are provided by several companies.

DPDK Home