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arXiv · 2501.17271

Rust Barefoot Runtime (RBFRT): Fast Runtime Control for the Intel Tofino

Etienne Zink·Moritz Flüchter·Steffen Lindner·Fabian Ihle·Michael Menth
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Abstract

Data plane programming enables the programmability of network devices with domain-specific programming languages, like P4. One commonly used P4-programmable hardware target is the Intel Tofino switching ASIC. The runtime behavior of an implemented P4 program on Tofino can be configured with shell scripts or a Python library from Barefoot provided with the Tofino. Both are limited in their capabilities and usability. This paper introduces the Rust Barefoot Runtime (RBFRT), a Rust-based control plane library. The RBFRT provides a fast and memory-safe interface to configure the Intel Tofino. We showed that the RBFRT achieves a higher insertion rate for MAT entries and has a shorter response time compared to the Python library.

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Etienne Zink, Moritz Flüchter, Steffen Lindner, Fabian Ihle, Michael Menth. 2025-01-28. Rust Barefoot Runtime (RBFRT): Fast Runtime Control for the Intel Tofino. https://doi.org/10.15496/publikation-105108

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