Towards a Configurable Platform for the Design and Evaluation of P4 Network Systems and Applications
Date of Graduation
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Computer Science and Computer Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Jin, Kevin
Committee Member
Panda, Brajendra
Second Committee Member
Gauch, John
Abstract
Due to the difficulties of running experiments on production networks, researchers often use platforms such as network emulators and testbeds to test their applications before applying them to the real world. There exists a need for a networking platform of this sort designed specifically for running P4 code and for evaluating P4-based experiments. In this work, we design and develop such a platform for use within our lab group based on the Mininet network emulator and its corresponding graphical user interface, MiniEdit. We have successfully integrated the BMv2 software switch into MiniEdit to allow users to build topologies for running P4 code and have developed a fully functional, custom built match-action table interface that allows users to easily manage the tables and table entries of their P4 programs. Additionally, we have integrated our platform with an Aurora 610 programmable hardware switch, allowing users to easily construct topologies involving this switch, and present a simple interface to allow users to view the tables and table entries on this switch from the main platform.
Keywords
Mininet; MiniEdit; Network Emulation; P4; Programmable Network; Testbed
Citation
Wilkin, J. B. (2025). Towards a Configurable Platform for the Design and Evaluation of P4 Network Systems and Applications. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/elcsuht/9
