User-Level Network Programmability: A Scalability Study for Data Center Infrastructure

This paper evaluates the scalability of user-level network programmability in data centers, focusing on the performance of applications developed using the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK). DPDK is a high-performance framework for fast packet processing in user space, bypassing traditional kernel-based network stacks. Results show DPDK's potential to maintain high packet transfer rates while optimizing CPU and memory usage under varying packet sizes and processing demands. However, the performance is significantly impacted by hardware limitations, such as memory channels and network interface controllers (NICs). The findings emphasize DPDK's scalability, especially in cloud data centers, where modern applications require low-latency and high-throughput networking solutions.