Application Layer Packet Classifier in Hardware

Traffic classification is fundamental to network operators to manage the network better. L7 classification and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) using regular expressions are vital components to provide application-aware traffic classification. Nevertheless, there are open challenges yet, such as programmability and performance combined with security. In this paper, we introduce eBPFlow, a fast application layer packet classifier in hardware. eBPFlow allows packet classification with DPI on packet headers and payloads in runtime. It enables programming of regular expressions (RegEx) and security protocols using eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter). We built eBPFlow on NetFPGA SUME 40 Gbps and created several application classifiers. The tests were performed in a physical testbed. Our results show that eBPFlow supports packet classification on the application layer with line rate. It only consumes 22 W.