An Exhaustive Survey on P4 Programmable Data Plane Switches: Taxonomy, Applications, Challenges, and Future Trends

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive survey of P4 programmable data plane switches, covering their evolution, taxonomy of applications, advantages, challenges, and future research directions, highlighting their transformative impact on network flexibility and performance.

Contribution

It offers the first extensive taxonomy and analysis of P4-based applications, along with a detailed discussion of challenges and future trends in programmable data plane switches.

Findings

Over 150 applications surveyed and classified

Programmable switches enable rapid protocol development

Significant challenges and open issues identified

Abstract

Traditionally, the data plane has been designed with fixed functions to forward packets using a small set of protocols. This closed-design paradigm has limited the capability of the switches to proprietary implementations which are hardcoded by vendors, inducing a lengthy, costly, and inflexible process. Recently, data plane programmability has attracted significant attention from both the research community and the industry, permitting operators and programmers in general to run customized packet processing function. This open-design paradigm is paving the way for an unprecedented wave of innovation and experimentation by reducing the time of designing, testing, and adopting new protocols; enabling a customized, top-down approach to develop network applications; providing granular visibility of packet events defined by the programmer; reducing complexity and enhancing resource utilization of the programmable switches; and drastically improving the performance of applications that are offloaded to the data plane. Despite the impressive advantages of programmable data plane switches and their importance in modern networks, the literature has been missing a comprehensive survey. To this end, this paper provides a background encompassing an overview of the evolution of networks from legacy to programmable, describing the essentials of programmable switches, and summarizing their advantages over Software-defined Networking (SDN) and legacy devices. The paper then presents a unique, comprehensive taxonomy of applications developed with P4 language; surveying, classifying, and analyzing more than 150 articles; discussing challenges and considerations; and presenting future perspectives and open research issues.