A Design and Implementation of Service Function Chaining Over Segment Routing IPv6 Network

Integrating the Network Service Header (NSH) into Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) is crucial for effective service function chaining (SFC). This integration preserves the sequence of service functions that traffic must traverse and allows network operators to optimize traffic routes based on current network conditions, thereby enhancing network utilization. Currently, OpenvSwitch does not support this capability; however, P4 technology, which enables data plane programming in network switches, makes this integration feasible. In this paper, we propose the design and implementation combining P4 switches and SDN controllers to facilitate this integration within the SFC environment. Our experimental result demonstrates significant improvements in network performance and service quality.