Programmable Packet Scheduling

Packet scheduling in switches is not programmable; operators only choose among a handful of scheduling algorithms implemented by the manufacturer. In contrast, other switch functions such as packet parsing and header processing are becoming programmable [10, 3, 6]. This paper presents a programmable packet scheduler that allows operators to program a variety of scheduling algorithms. Our design exploits the insight that any scheduling algorithm can be deconstructed into two decisions: in what order packets depart and when they depart. The algorithms only differ in how the order and departure times are computed. We show how these decisions map to two well-understood ions: priority and calendar queues [11]. Priority and calendar queues can then be composed together to realize a broad range of sophisticated scheduling algorithms. Further, tractions can be realized using the same mechanism: a programmable push-in first-out queue (PIFO) that allows a packet to push itself into an arbitrar...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2016
• Where: CORR
• Authors: Anirudh Sivaraman, Suvinay Subramanian, Anurag Agrawal, Sharad Chole, Shang-Tse Chuang, Tom Edsall, Mohammad Alizadeh, Sachin Katti, Nick McKeown, Hari Balakrishnan
• Keywords: CORR 2016, Education