硬件加速在核心网转发面应用的思考和实践

 

 

摘要：5G、边缘计算新型业务对带宽和时延的需求要求核心网转发面网元（UPF）具备低时延、高转发、零丢包的能力，对动态调整、定制化以及切片的需求又要求UPF进行虚拟化部署。而当前基于通用CPU服务器部署难以满足上述需求。通过对网络功能虚拟化（NFV）不匹配三角的深层次分析，找到UPF应用硬件加速的切入点，并通过加速比公式衡量硬件加速的效能，为后续性能提升指明方向。认为运营商可以通过定制化、标准化服务器和智能网卡的选型与规格，实现UPF软硬解耦，打造通用、开放的网络资源池，充分利用通用硬件的池化效应，降本增效，在提升资源利用率的同时加强运营商对网络的自主掌控。
关键词：UPF；智能网卡；硬件加速；软硬解耦


Abstract: The high demand of bandwidth and delay from new services of 5G and edge computing requires user plane function (UPF) should have the ability of low delay, high forwarding and zero packet-loss. And virtualized deployment is also needed by dynamic adjustment, customization and network slicing function. The performance of UPF deployed on a generic server is difficult to meet the new business requirement. Through the deep analysis of network function virtualization (NFV) mismatched triangle, we can find the pointcut of hardware acceleration in the UPF. The acceleration ratio formula can not only measure the performance of hardware acceleration, but also indicate the direction of subsequent improvement. Now The UPF equipment in the industry is proprietary to manufacturers, and the combination of software and hardware is highly enclosed. Operators can realize the decoupling of software and hardware of UPF through customized and standardized server and SmartNIC selection and specification. The general and open network resource pool makes full use of the pooling effect of general hardware, reduces costs, increases efficiency and improves resource utilization while strengthening the operator's autonomous control of the network.
Keywords: user plane function; SmartNIC; hardware acceleration; hardware-software decoupling