Rust Barefoot Runtime (RBFRT): Fast Runtime Control for the Intel Tofino

TL;DR

The paper introduces RBFRT, a Rust-based control plane library for Intel Tofino switches, offering faster configuration and better safety than existing Python tools.

Contribution

It presents RBFRT, a new Rust library that improves runtime control speed and safety for Tofino switches over previous Python-based solutions.

Findings

RBFRT achieves higher insertion rates for MAT entries.

RBFRT has shorter response times than the Python library.

RBFRT enhances safety and usability in Tofino runtime configuration.

Abstract

Data plane programming enables the programmability of network devices with domain-specific programming languages, like P4. One commonly used P4-programmable hardware target is the Intel Tofino switching ASIC. The runtime behavior of an implemented P4 program on Tofino can be configured with shell scripts or a Python library from Barefoot provided with the Tofino. Both are limited in their capabilities and usability. This paper introduces the Rust Barefoot Runtime (RBFRT), a Rust-based control plane library. The RBFRT provides a fast and memory-safe interface to configure the Intel Tofino. We showed that the RBFRT achieves a higher insertion rate for MAT entries and has a shorter response time compared to the Python library.